'.  ('-  > 


I 


LIBRT^IIY 

OF   THE 

Theological    Seminary, 

1 

PRINCETON,    N.  J. 

BR    1725    .G724    B74    1849 

Graham,    Mary  Jane,    1803- 

SJ 

1830. 

Bi 

Life   and  works   of   Miss   Mary 

Jajie    Graham    ... 

% 

^^^.^ 

LIFE  AND  WORKS 


MISS  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM, 

LATE    OF    STOKE    FLEMING,    DEVON. 


REV.  CHARLES   6rIDGES,  M.A. 


FROM    THE    SIXTH    LONDON    EDITION, 


NEW  YORK: 
ROBERT  CARTER  &  BROTHERS 

No.     285     BROADWAY. 
1849. 


ROBERT  CRAIGHEAD,  PRINTER, 
112  rULTON  STREET 


PREFACE 


The  Writer  did  not  enjoy  the  privilege  of  personal  acquaintance  ■svith 
the  subject  of  this  Memoir.  But  when  the  materials,  both  of  incident 
and  manuscript,  were  placed  in  his  hands,  he  could  not  but  feel  that 
many  subjects  of  valuable  interest  and  importance  might  be  brought 
out  with  advantage  to  the  church.  He  has  been  constrained  to  com- 
pensate for  the  paucity  of  incident  by  the  introduction  of  large  extracts 
from  her  writings  and  correspondence,  which,  however,  will  be  often 
found  to  afford  instructive  developments  of  the  character  of  her  mind, 
and  the  principles  of  her  profession.  If  he  should  be  thought,  by  the 
extension  of  his  own  remarks,  to  have  occasionally  transgressed  the 
bounds  of  a  biographer,  he  can  only  cast  himself  upon  the  indulgence 
of  his  reader,  in  the  exercise  of  his  important  responsibility,  in  availing 
himself  of  this  opportunity  to  offer  a  few  suggestions  of  Christian  love 
upon  subjects  of  present  and  most  anxious  interest  in  the  church  of 
God. 

Such  as  his  work  is,  the  Writer  desires  to  commend  it  to  the  blessing 
of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  trusting  that  the  example  of  the 
highly-gifted  and  consecrated  character  here  set  forth,  may  reflect  the 
glory  of  His  adorable  name,  and  quicken  the  energies  of  those  who  bear 
that  name  upon  their  profession,  to  aspire  to  a  more  elevated  standard 
of  Christian  devotedness  and  privilege. 
Old  Newton  Vicarage,  ^ 
Jiilif  16,  1832.  \ 


ADVERTISEMENT 


SECOND    EDITION, 


The  interest  that  has  been  excited  by  the  following  Memoir,  has  in- 
duced the  Writer,  after  having  exhausted  the  materials  Avith  which  he 
had  been  previously  furnished,  to  investigate  fresh  sources  of  informa- 
tion, by  which  he  might  bring  forth  the  proper  individualities  of  Miss 
Graham's  chai-acter,  and  the  circumstantials  of  her  life  into  more  dis- 
tinct and  detailed  exhibition.  This  object  he  has  been  enabled  to  ac- 
complish, by  a  selection  from  licr  own  letters,  as  well  as  from  com- 
munications readily  furnished  by  her  family  and  friends.  He  has  added 
also  a  few  of  such  extracts  from  her  manuscript,  as  were  likely  to  be 
ff-enerally  acceptable,  and  prefixed  a  portrait,  taken  about  four  years 
before  her  death,  whicli  it  was  thought  would  increase  the  interest  of 
the  work.  He  now  once  more  commits  it  to  God  and  his  church,  with 
the  desire  that  it  may  reflect — not  the  honor  of  the  creature — but  the 
glory  of  the  Saviour. 

Old  Ncwfmi  Vicarage,  "i 
March  9,  1833.  S 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Her  early  life  .         .         •         •         • 

CHAPTER   II. 

Her  relapse  into  infidelity 


PAGE 

7 


.       14 


CHAPTER  III. 

General  sketch  of  Miss  Graham's  life— her    views  of 

STUDY extensive    ATTAINMENTS AND    ACTIVE    DEVOTED- 

ness  to  God      ....•••• 


CHAPTER  n. 

FrRTHER    EXTRACTS     FROM     HER     WRITINGS     AND     CORRESrON- 

dence        ...•••••• 

I.     On  the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel 
11.     On  subjects  OF  thkological  discussion 
III.     On  christian  experience  and  practical  religion 
IV.     On  miscellaneous  subjects  .... 


22 


48 
48 
6C 
92 
138 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   V. 

PAGE 

Different  viewj?  and  features  in  Miss  Graham's  charac- 
ter .         .         .         .         • 1(5(5 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Her  illness  and  death    .         .         ,         .         .         .         .189 


CHAPTER  Vn. 
Remarks     •......,..     205 


MEMOIR 


OF 


MISS  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM. 


CHAPTER   I. 


HER   EARLY   LIFE. 


"  The  works  of  the  Lord  are  great ;  sought  out  of  all  the?n  that 
have  pleasure  therein.'''  Elevated  indeed  is  the  Christian's  pleas- 
ure'^ in  "seeking  out  the  great  works"  of  creation.  But  it  is  the 
work  of  "  redemption,"  which  mainly  attracts  his  dehghted  contem- 

plation^* as  tlie  mirror  in  which  the  glory  of  his  God  and  Saviour 

is  most  fully  unveiled  before  him.  The  "  new  creation"^  on  the 
heart  of  man  is  one  grand  division  of  this  perfect  work  of  God  :  and 
often  does  its  display  of  "  the  beauty  of  holiness"  constrain  the 
world  to  a  reluctant  acknowledgment,  and  excite  the  church  to 
joyful  adoration— "  What  hath^God  wrought '."^  For  not  only 
will  the  Redeemer's  glory  be  manifested  in  his  saints  at  the  blissful 
era  of  his  coming*^— not  only  will  they  then  be  seen  "  as  the  jewels"^ 
of  his  everlasting  crown  ;  but  even  now  are  they  "  the  glory  of  his 
inheritance"— -set  forth  for  the  conviction  of  the  world—"  that  they 
may  see,  and  know,  and  consider,  and  understand  together,  that 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  hath  done  this,  and  that  the  Holy  one  of 
Israel  hath  created  it."s 

It  is  the  object  of  the  following  sketch  to  bring  forth  to  view  one 
of  these  striking  manifestations  of  divine  power  and  grace,  and 
to  illustrate,  in  connection  with  this  memorial,  some  of  those  edifying 
and  instructive  lessons  which  it  will  be  seen  to  present  before  us. 

Mary  Jane  Graham  was  born  in  London,  April  11, 1803.  Her 
father  was  engaged  in  a  respectable  business,  from  which  he  retired 
a  few  years  before  his  daughter's  death  (and  chiefly  from  regard  to 
her  dehcate  health,)  to  the  village  of  Stoke  Fleming,  near  Dartmouth, 
Devon.     She  appears  to  have  been  the  subject  of  early  religious 

•  Psalm  cxi.  2.     Compare  Bishop  Home's  beautiful  note.  .  ,  „  r  « 

2  Ps.  xix.  1.     Compare  Rom.  1.  20.  ^  ib.  cxi.  2,  with  3  5,  9. 

i  2  Cor.  iv.  6  ;  v.  17.     Eph.  ii.  10.  ^  Numbers  xxiu.  23 

«  2  Thess.  i.  10.  ■?  Mai.  iii.  17.  »  Eph.  i.  18.    Isa.  xh.  19,  20. 


O  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM, 

convictions.  At  the  age  of  seven  she  had  acquired  those  habits  of 
secret  prayer,  which  may  be  considered  a  favorable  mark  of  divine 
influence  upon  her  soul.  But  we  will  give  the  history  of  this  era 
of  her  life  in  lier  own  words.  To  a  friend  who  had  evinced  some 
incredulity  of  the  genuineness  or  permanency  of  early  impressions 
of  religion,  she  thus  writes  : 

March,  20,  1827. 
'You  appear,  my  dear  friend,  to  think  very  early  piety  too  won- 
derful a  thing  to  be  true.  It  is  wonderful — so  wonderful,  that,  when 
David  was  contemplating  the  starry  firmament,  he  was  drawn  for  a 
moment  from  his  meditation  on  the  wonders  he  there  beheld,  by  the 
still  greater  wonder  of  ''  God's  ordaining  strength  out  of  the  mouths 
of  babes  and  sucklings."^  But  David's  wonder  and  yoms  were  of 
a  very  different  nature — he  wondered  and  adored.  Jesus,  too,  that 
"man  of  sorrows"  once  "rejoiced  in  spirit,"  because  God  "had  hid 
these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  them  unto 
babes.  Even  so.  Father;  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight. "'^ 
'  Even  so.  Lord  Jesus  ;  in  thy  rejoicing  will  I  too  rejoice  ;  let  the 
world  think  me  a  fool  or  an  enthusiast,  or  beside  myself,  as  they 
thought  thee.'     The  story  of  'Little  Henry   and    his   Bearer,' to 

which  I  believe  you  allude,  I  have  been  assured  by  Miss ,  is 

every  word  of  it  true.  Do  not  then  bring  upon  yourself  the  dreadfiil 
sin  of  limiting  the  power  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  Jesus  has 
said,  "Suffer  little  children  to  come  ;"3  and  they  will  come,  if  he 
calls  them.  As  facts  are  the  strongest  of  all  proofs,  bear  with  me  a 
little  longer,  while  I  tell  you  briefly  the  history  of  a  child,  for  the 
truth  of  which  I  can  vouch.  I  knew  a  little  girl,  about  sixteen 
years  and  a  half  ago.  She  was  much  like  other  children,  as  full  of 
sin  and  vanity  as  ever  she  could  hold :  and  her  parents  had  not  as 
yet  taken  much  pains  to  talk  to  her  about  religion.  So  she  went 
on  in  the  way  of  her  own  evil  heart,  and  thought  herself  a  very 
good  little  girl,  because  she  said  her  prayers  every  night  and  mor- 
ning, and  was  not  more  passionate,  wilful,  and  perverse,  than  most 
of  her  young  companions.  The  God  of  love  did  not  think  this 
sinful  child  too  young  to  learn  of  Jesus.  He  so  ordered  it  about  the 
time  I  am  speaking  of,  when  she  was  just  seven  years  old,  that  she 
was  led  by  a  pious  servant  into  some  alms-houses  belonging  to 
Rowland  Hill,  who  had  just  been  preaching  in  them.  The  servant 
and  an  aged  woman  entered  into  a  long  conversation  together,  to 
which  the  little  girl  listened,  and  wondered  what  could  make  them 
like  to  talk  about  such  things.  But  at  the  close  of  it,  the  old  woman 
took  the  child  affectionately  by  the  hand,  and  said  to  her — '  My 
dear  child,  make  the  I^ord  Jesus  your  friend  now  that  you  are  so 
young:  and  when  you  come  to  be  as  old  as  I  am,  He'll  never  leave 
you  nor  forsake  you.     God  the  Spirit  sent  these  simple  words  to  the 

'  Psalm  viii.  1 — 1. 

-  Luke  X.  21.    This,  though  not  the  direct,  is  an  inclusive  meaning  of  the  declaration, 

3  Mark  x.  11. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  9 

poor  sinful  child's  lieait.  She  walked  home  in  silence  by  her 
nurse's  side,  thinking  how  she  could  get  Jesus  to  be  her  friend. 
Then  she  remembeied  how  often  she  had  slighted  this  dear  Saviour  ; 
how  she  had  read  of  him  in  the  Bible,  and  been  wearied  of  tiie 
subject :  how  she  had  heard  the  minister  preach  about  Jesus,  and 
wished  the  long  dry  sermon  over ;  how  she  liad  said  prayers  to  Him 
without  minding  what  she  said;  how  she  had  passed  clays,  weeks, 
and  months,  without  thinking  of  him  ;  how  she  had  loved  her  play, 
her  books,  and  her  toys,  and  her  play-fellows— all,  all  better  than 
Jesus.  Then  the  Holy  Spirit  convinced  her  of  sin.  She  saw  that 
no  one  good  thing  dwelt  in  her,  and  that  she  deserved  to  be  cast 
away  from  God  forever.  Would  Jesus  lov^e  her  now  ?  Would  he 
ever  forgive  her?  She  feared  not;  but  she  would  try.  She  would 
make  herself  very  good,  and  then,  perhaps,  Jesus,  would  be  her 
friend.  But  the  more  this  little  girl  tried  to  be  good,  the  more  her 
naughty  heart  got  the  better  of  her ;  for  she  was  trying  in  her  own 
strength.  She  was  led  to  give  up  trying  in  that  way  ;  and  many 
long  nights  did  she  spend  in  praying  "  with  strong  crying  and 
tears"  to  Jesus  that  he  would  teach  her  how  to  get  her  sins  pardoned, 
and  make  her  tit  to  have  Him  for  her  friend.  Let  me  mention  it 
for  the  encouragement  of  those  who  seek  Jesus,  that  He  did  not  dis- 
dain to  listen  to  the  prayers  of  this  little  child.  He  put  it  into  her 
heart  to  read  the  Bible,  of  which,  though  she  understood  not  all,  yet 
she  gathered  enough  to  give  her  some  comfort.  One  day  lier 
attention  was  fixed  on  these  words — '-The  Lamb  of  God,  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.'"  Now  something  that  could 
take  away  sin  was  just  what  this  little  girl  wanted  :  and  she  asked 
lier  father  to  tell  her  who  this  Lamb  of  God  was.  He  explained  to 
her  this  precious  verse.  But  who  can  describe  the  raptures  which 
filled  the  bosom  of  this  little  child,  when  made  to  comprehend  that 
the  "blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  Now  she  fled  to  Jesus 
indeed.  Now  she  knew  that  He  had  loved  her,  and  given  himself 
for  her;  now  the  Spirit  of  God,  who  often  ''chooseth  the  weak  and 
foolish  things  of  the  world,  to  confound  the  wise  and  mighty,"" 
"shed  abroad  the  love  of  God  in  the  heart''^  of  a  weak  and  foolish 
child,  and  "  filled  her  with  peace  and  joy  in  believing."*  She  had 
no  one  whom  she  could  talk  to  of  these  things.  But  she  held  sweet 
converse  with  her  reconciled  God  and  Father :  and  gladly  would 
she  have  quitted  this  life  to  go  and  dwell  with  Jesus.  Since  then 
she  has  spent  nearly  seventeen  years  of  mingled  happiness  and 
pain.  But  she  has  had  Jesus  for  her  friend  ;  and  He  never  has, 
and  never  will  forsake  her.^  She  has  forsaken  Him  more  than 
once  for  a  season,  and  turned  to  follow  the  vain  things  of  the  world. 
But  her  Shepherd's  eye  has  been  over  her  in  her  wanderings,  and 
He  has  never  suffered  her  ciuite  to  depart  from  HiuK  To  this  day, 
her  vain  and  treacherous  heart  is  continually  leading  her  to  provoke 
her  heavenly  friend.     "He  visits  her  transgressions  with  t!ie  rod, 

1  John  i.  29.  2  i  Cor.  i.  27.         3  Rom.  v.  5.  <  lb.  xv.  t3.  s  Heb.  xiii.  5. 


10  MEMOIR    OF   MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

and  her  iniquity  with  stripes  ;"  but  he  has  sworn  never  to  "  take  his 
loving  kindness  from  her,  nor  to  suffer  his  faithfuhiess  to  fail."' 
She  is  constrained  to  acknowledge,  that  during  all  this  time  she  has 
never  done  one  thing  that  could  merit  God's  favor.  Free  grace, 
free  mercy,  are  all  her  song ;  "  It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercy  she  has  not 
long  ago  been  consumed.'"*  She  is  quite  sure  she  could  never  have 
changed  her  own  heart.  No  ;  God  has  begun  the  good  work  in 
her,  and  he  must  carry  it  on ;  and  from  first  to  last,  let  glory  be 
ascribed  to  Him,  and  let  her  take  the  shame  and  confusion  to  herself. 
At  this  moment  she  desires  to  live,  if  she  may  be  made  the  means 
of  converting  one  sinner  to  Jesus  ;  but  if  not,  she  would  rather 
"  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better."  She  is  far  from 
despising  earthly  blessings.  Every  morsel  she  puts  into  her  mouth, 
the  very  air  she  breathes,  is  made  sweet  and  refreshing  by  the 
loving  hand  that  sends  it.  Once  there  was  a  curse  on  all  her 
earthly  blessings.  But  now  "  Christ  hath  redeemed  her  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  her."^  She  would  give  it 
as  her  living  experience,  and  leave  it  when  she  goes  hence  as  her 
dying  testimony,  that  there  is  nothing  worth  living  for  except  to 
know  Him,  and  see  others  come  to  Him,  and  wash  their  guilty 
souls  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  God  has  given  her  the  blessing  of 
seeing  a  happy  change  take  place  in  some  of  the  dear  companions 
of  her  childhood  and  youtli.  She  waits  upon  him  for  the  salvation 
of  the  rest ;  and  there  is  no  one,  whom  she  longs  after  more  ardently 
in  the  Lord,  than  that  dear  and  valued  friend  of  her  earliest  days, 
to  whom  this  letter  is  addressed  ;  and  to  whom  she  wishes  every 
spiritual  blessing,  that  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the 
Holy  Ghost  can  bestow,  now  and  for  evermore:  Amen  and  Amen.' 

Some  apparent  discrepancy  may  be  observed  between  this  ex- 
quisitely beautiful  and  natural  letter  and  her  published  account  of 
this  important  crisis.^  Perhaps  some  readers  may  suspect  the  let- 
ter to  be  somewhat  tinctured  with  the  spirit  of  her  subsequent  ex- 
perience. Though,  however,  the  apprehensions  of  Divine  truth 
which  it  expresses,  were  indeed  clear  and  enlivening,  far  beyond  the 
average  of  spiritual  capacity  of  children  ;  yet  her  '  view  of  many  ol 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity,'  which  she  afterwards  so  fully  devel- 
oped and  so  richly  enjoyed,  was  at  this  time  '  very  indistinct.'^ 
Doubtless  also  nmch  of  natural  feehng  and  excitement  was  min- 
gled with  these  early  impressions  of  religion  ;  while  what  was  of  a 
spiritual  character,  as  she  afterwards  discovered,  was  not  sufficient- 
ly grounded  upon  that  sense  of  universal  guilt  and  helplessness 
which  prostrates  the  sinner  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  simply  depend- 
■ent  upon  a  free  salvation.*'  This  superficial  cast  of  impression — 
without  invalidating  the  reality  of  a  Divine  change — will  ac- 
count for  the  instability  which  marked  her  early  course  in  the  ways 

•  Psalm  Ixxxix.  32,  33.  2  Lam.  iii.  22.  3  Gal.  iii.  13. 

1  Test  of  Truth.     By  Mary  Jane  Graham.     (Seeleys.)  5  Test  of  Truth. 

«  Test  of  Truth. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  11 

of  God.  From  her  own  history  we  learn  that  she  '  was  enabled  to 
walk  with  God  in  sincerity,  and  without  any  considerable  declen- 
sion during  the  greater  part  of  her  childhood,  and  the  commence- 
ment of  a  riper  age."  After  this  period,  however, '  more  than  once,' 
as  her  letter  informs  us,  she  '  forsook'  her  heavenly  Friend, '  turned 
to  follow  the  vain  things  of  the  world,'  and  "  went  on  frowardly  in 
the  way  of  her  own  heart" — "  leaning  to  her  own  understandi|;ig," 
and  led  captive  in  her  own  folly. 

Of  (his  period  future  notice  will  be  given.  Meanwhile  we  revert 
to  her  early  years  as  spent  under  the  roof  of  her  parents  or  at  school. 
Her  parents  considered  her  virtues  as  those  of  every  day — that  is, 
habitual— and  not  merely  called  forth  on  particular  occasions. 
She  was  a  most  amiable,  affectionate,  and  dutiful  child,  seldom  need- 
ing correction,  tender-hearted  when  told  of  her  faults,  and  by  her 
general  kindness  of  disposition  attaching  all  the  members  of  the 
household  to  herself.  She  was  remarkably  free  from  selfishness ; 
always  ready  to  yield  to  her  companions,  even  to  deprive  herself  of 
what  she  valued.  Her  little  pocket-money  was  generally  reserved 
for  some  object  of  distress,  or  for  some  token  of  affection  to  a  friend. 

Her  quickness  of  mind  was  a  subject  of  early  observation.  Her 
reading  was  chiefly  obtained  by  attending  to  the  lessons  which  were 
given  to  her  brother,  then  preparing  for  school.  She  was  seldom 
seen  without  a  book  in  her  hand,  and  seemed  never  so  happy  as 
when  employing  herself  in  the  improvement  of  her  mind.  Yet 
this  thoughtful  cast  of  character  was  by  no  means  tinged  with  un- 
natural gloom.  In  all  the  harmless  games  of  childhood  none  of 
her  companions  excelled  her  in  playful  activity  ;^  while  in  the  midst 
of  her  cheerful  temperament,  it  was  abundantly  evident  that  the 
main  concern  of  religion  was  uppermost  in  her  mind.  '  I  recollect,' — 
her  cousin  writes, — '  that  when  were  quite  little  children,  she  made 
some  attempt  to  talk  to  me  about  religion — once  especially,  when 

we  were  sitting  behind  the  curtain  in  the  drawing  room  at . 

I  did  not  like  the  subject,  and  therefore  walked  away,  and  joined 
my  more  worldly-minded  companions.' 

Her  school  career  commenced  soon  after  she  was  seven  years  old. 
She  was  however  shortly  removed,  from  ill  health,  and  again,  about 
the  age  of  ten,  sent  to  a  school  of  a  different  kind.  Many  of  her 
companions,  who  survive  her,  will  probably  long  preserve  the  re- 
membrance of  that  peculiar  kindness  and  gentleness  of  spirit,  which 
combined  with  her  superior  powers.  One  of  them  remarks  her  great 
carefulness  to  screen,  as  far  as  it  was  lawful  to  do  so,  the  faults  of 
her  fellows,  and  her  anxiety  to  plead  for  them  when  in  disgrace: 
and  so  powerful  was  her  advocacy,  that  her  preceptress  was  con- 
strained to  remove  out  of  her  way,  when  her  judgment  compelled 
her  to  persevere  in  her  discipline.  In  all  the  school  difficulties,  she 
was  the  constant  resource,  ever  ready  and  willing  to  assist,  without 

>  Test  of  Truth. 

2  One  of  her  early  friends  however  remarks,  that  her  games  and  manner  of  amusing 
partook  more  of  imagination  and  of  genius  than  those  of  the  generality  of  children. 


12  MEMOIK    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

any  assumption  upon  the  ground  of  her  acknowledg-ed  superioritj-. 
One  trait  of  peculiar  loveliness  was  here  exhibited,  (the  spirit  of 
which  was  marked  on  various  occasions  in  after-Hfe,)  in  her  con- 
sideration of  any  of  her  companions,  who,  from  any  unfavorable 
causes,  might  appear  to  be  neglected.  These  were  the  objects  of 
her  particular  notice,  and  with  them  she  shared  all  her  Uttle  indul- 
gences. 

Her  religious  impressions  appear  to  have  been  cherished  by  the 
familiar  exhortations  of  the  husband  of  lier  preceptress,  and  by  de- 
votional exercises  with  those  of  her  companions,  who  were  living 
xmder  the  practical  influence  of  their  Christian  instruction.  To  one 
of  them  she  proposed  to  learn  every  day  a  portion  of  Scripture  in 
private,  and  to  repeat  it  to  each  other  when  they  retired  to  rest. 
At  this  time  she  committed  to  memory  the  whole  of  the  Prophecy 
of  Isaiah,  besides  other  portions  of  the  sacred  volume. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  her  delicate  health  again  occasioned  her  re- 
moval from  school.  Her  illness  lasted  for  about  two  months,  during 
which  lime,  when  confined  upon  the  sofa,  she  committed  to  memory 
the  whole  Book  of  Psalms  Indeed  her  powers  of  memory  were 
of  an  extraordinary  order.  She  was  much  delighted  with  Milton's 
Paradise  Lost,  and  had  learnt  the  greater  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of 
that  magnificent  poem.  For  many  successive  mornings  she  re- 
peated to  her  father  most  correctly  upwards  of  three  hundred  lines 
each  morning.  Upon  her  recovery  from  illness  she  passed  several 
months  with  a  careful  servant  by  the  sea-side.  So  instinctive  were 
her  habits  of  active  usefulness,  that  she  employed  herself,  though 
only  in  her  thirteenth  year,  in  collecting  a  few  children  for  the  pur- 
pose  of  instruction,  and  in  distributing  tracts.  In  returning  home 
to  her  parents,  she  enjoyed  with  them  the  rich  and  responsible  priv- 
ilege of  the  ministry  of  the  late  Rev.  Samuel  Crowther,  Vicar  of 
Christ  Church,  Newgate  Street -an  eminent  "watchman  of  Eph- 
raim,"  now  with  his  God.'  Under  his  faithful  and  affectionate  in- 
struction she  was  brought  to  the  ordinance  of  Confirmation  about 
the  age  of  sixteen,  and  publicly  "joined  herself  to  the  Lord  in  a 
perpetual  covenant  never  to  be  forgotten."^ 

These  interesting  notices  of  Miss  Graham's  early  life  may  sug- 
gest a  few  profitable  remarks. 

Let  Christian  parenis  be  excited  to  an  immediate  and  "perse- 
vering discharge  of  their  anxious  responsibilities.  Early  im- 
pressions are  of  the  highest  moment  in  reference  to  the  future 
course  of  their  children.  Let  them  be  prayed  for,  expected,  cher- 
ished. They  cannot  be  too  early  or  too  urgent  in  presenting  (after 
the  example  of  the  believing  parents  of  old)  the  petition  of  the  angel 
of  the  covenant — "  How  shall  we  order  the  child,  and  how  shall  we 
do  unto  him  ?"'  They  can  scarcely  fix  the  precious  seed  too  soon 
into  the  fre^h  soil.  The  pure  simplicity  of  the  rudiments  of  the 
Gospel  is  specially  suited  to  the  dawn  of  infant  intelligence;  and 

'   Hosoa  ix.  8.  2  Jeremiah  1.  5.  3  Judges  xiii.  12,  with  18. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 


13 


well  would  it  be,  if  our  child  ten  should  never  be  able  to  lecur  iu 
after  life  to  the  time,  when  these  vital  truths  were  first  presented 
to  their  minds.  The  child's  intellect  opens  faster  than  is  coaunoaly 
considered.  The  first  impressions  often  retain  a  firm  and  perma- 
nent grasp  through  life.  And  abundantly  has  the  experience  of 
the  Church  testified — that  early  piety  is  eminent  piety.' 

It  mai/ appear  suspicious,'^ that  so  little  shade  is  discoverable 
upon  the  records  of  Miss  Graham's  childhood.  But  defects  can- 
not be  noticed,  where  they  were  not  observed.  Probably  our  own 
sphere  of  observation,  if  not  our  immediate  circle,  may  be  furnislied 
with  similar  cases,  sufficient  to  preclude  an  unwarranted  incredu- 
lity. And  indeed  these  instances  often  afford  the  most  striking 
illustrations  of  the  total  depravity  of  the  fall.  For  while  Miss 
Graham  was  in  the  estimation  of  her  parents  all  that  their  fond 
hearts  could  wish— what  was  she  in  the  sight  of  God?  Self- 
knowledge  under  Divine  teaching  soon  discovered  to  her,  that 
under  this  attractive  garb  was  hid  the  mighty  principle  of  aliena- 
tion of  heart  from  God.  There  was  no  natural  preparation  for 
heavenly  influence.  It  was  only  a  more  lovely  appearance  of  the 
death  that  reigned  within.  Her  subsequent  expressions  therefore 
of  self-abhorrence  were  not  the  ebulitions  of  a  false  humility,  or  of 
misguided  fanaticism,  but  the  genuine  conviction  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  upon  her  heart. 

The  subject  of  our  history  suggests  also  the  importance  of  an 
earlij  excitement  of  the  principles  of  active  usefulness.  No  doubt 
Miss  Graham's  habits  of  early  activity  had  an  important  influence 
in  maturing  her  character  for  the  high  privilege  of  devoting  herself 
to  the  interests  of  her  fellow-creatures.  It  was  Cotton  Mather's 
practice  to  endeavor  to  enlarge  the  minds  of  his  children,  by  en- 
gaging them  daily  in  some  '  Essay  to  do  good.'  He  encouraged 
and  commended  them,  when  he  saw  them  take  pleasure  in  it,  and 
never  failed  to  show  them  that  a  backwardness  would  subject  them 
to  his  displeasure.2  This  example  cannot  be  too  strongly  incul- 
cated. To  present  to  children  an  object  beyond  themselves,  would 
tend  much  to  counteract  the  natural  principle  of  selfisbness,  so  bane- 
ful to  their  personal  happiness,  and  to  their  intellectual,  moral,  and 
spiritual  improvement.  At  the  same  time,  to  give  this  habit  its  full 
effectiveness,  it  is  necessary,  that  these  '  Essays  to  do  good,'  should 
be  acted  out  under  the  influence  of  self-denial,  in  the  rehnquishmetit 
of  their  own  indulgences,  for  the  benefit  of  the  objects  of  their  kind 
consideration. 

1  'Barker's  Parent's  Monitor'  gives  a  useful  digest  of  information  well  calculated  to 
guide  the  instructor,  and  to  encourage  the  diligence  and  patient  perseverance  of  parental 
faith.  The  principles  of  Christian  Education  are  brought  out  with  much  simplicity 
and  practical  detail  in  the  valuable  and  well-known  works  of  Mrs.  Hoarc  and  Mr. 
Babington,  which  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended.  Perhaps  the  most  full  and  inter- 
estino-  illustration  of  these  principles  will  be  found  in  the  Bioijraphios  of  the  Heriry  tam- 
ily,  (Lives  of  P.  and  M.  Henry,  and  Mrs.  Savage  and  Hulton,)  by  Mr.  Williams,  ot 
Shrewsbury,  and  a  valuable  volume  recently  published—'  Domestic  Portraiture  —con- 
taining the'records  of  several  of  the  late  Rev.  Lcgh  Richmond"s  children. 

2  See  Cotton  Mather's  Life,  abridged  by  iVIr  .Jennings.  It  is  published  also,  Vol.  I.  of 
an  admirable  series  of  Christian  Biography,  by  the  Religious  Tract  Society. 


CHAPTER   II 


HER    RELAPSE    INTO    INFIDELITY. 

About  the  age  of  seventeen,  Miss  Graham's  mind  underwent  a 
most  extraordinary  revokition.  She  fell,  for  a  few  months,  from 
the  heavenly  atmosphere  of  communion  with  God,  into  the  dark 
and  dreary  regions  of  infidelity.  Allusion  has  already  been  made 
to  this  afflicting  circumstance,  in  her  letter.^  But  for  a  most  inter- 
esting and  graphic  detail,  the  reader  must  be  referred  to  her  own 
published  account;^  some  digest  of  which  will  here  be  given,  in 
order  to  connect  the  thread  of  her  history,  and  to  exhibit  a  clear 
view  of  one  of  the  most  important  eras  in  her  life. 

Miss  Graham's  mind  at  this  time  began  to  open  in  a  metaphys- 
ical form — unfavorable  to  a  simple  reception  of  truth.  And  this, 
connected  with  a  defective  apprehension  of  her  lost  state,  induced  a 
spirit  of  self-dependence — one  of  the  most  subtle  and  successful 
hindrances  to  the  Christian  life.^  Thus  was  the  way  opened  to  a 
secret  habit  of  backsliding  from  God.  The  foolish  vanities  of  the 
world  for  a  while  captivated  her  heart ;  and  her  manners  were  re- 
marked to  be  like  those  of  other  thoughtless  girls  of  her  own  age. 
From  frivohty  she  sought  refuge  in  her  more  solid  intellectual  pur- 
suits. All  sources  of  self-gratification  within  her  power  were  re- 
ported to  with  the  fruitless  attempt  of  obtaining  peace  in  a  course 
of  departure  from  God.  Wearied  at  length  with  disappointment, 
this  prodigal  child  "  began  to  be  in  want :"  and  many  a  wishful 
eye  did  she  cast  towards  the  rich  provision  of  her  Father's  forsaken 
house. ^  In  turning,  however,  to  religion  for  con)fort,  she  found,  to 
use  her  own  words — 'Alas!  I  had  no  religion:  I  had  refused  to 
give  glory  to  the  Lord  my  God  ;  now  my  feet  were  left  to  stumble 
upon  the  dark  mountains."' 

The  doctrine  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ  had  often  been  to  her,  (as 

•  '  She  had  forsaken  him  mare  than  once,'  evidentl}'  includes  a  reference  to  this  history. 
In  the  recollection  however  of  her  complete  restoration,  she  added — '  He  has  never  suf- 
fered her  quite  (i.  e.  altogether  andjinall'j)  to  depart  from  Him.' 

2  Test  of  Truth. 

3  She  alludes  to  an  injury  which  her  own  mind,  in  common  (as  she  conceives)  with 
many  others,  had  received  from  adopting  Doddridge's  form  of  covenanting  with  God. 
(See  his  Rise  and  Progress,  Chapter  xvii.)  This  was  in  her  thirteenth  year.  Let  it  how- 
ever be  remembered,  that,  though  this  mode  of  dedication  may  have  frequently  ministered 
to  a  legal  spirit,  yet  it  by  no  means  necessarily  partakes  of  an  evangelical  character.  This 
"subscribing  of  the  hand  unto  the  Lord,"  has  been  found  by  many  eminent  Christians, 
(as,  for  example,  Philip  Henry's  family,)  to  be  a  cord  of  love,  not  a  yoke  of  bondage.  A 
touching  and  expressive  record  of  this  character,  from  the  pen  and  heart  of  the  Rev.  R. 
Hall,  is  given  by  Dr.  Gregory.  Allusion  is  probably  made  to  it  as  an  acceptable  ordi- 
nance in  the  service  of  the  Gospel.    Isaiah  xliv.  3 — 5. 

1  Luke  XV.  14,  17.  5  Test  of  Truth. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  15 

to  many  other  minds  cast  into  the  same  mould)  an  occasion  of  per- 
plexity. Now  it  was  •'  a  stone  of  stumbling,  and  a  rock  of  offence." 
Though  repeated  examination  had  fully  satisfied  her  that  it  was 
the  truth  of  the  Bible  ;  yet  so  repulsive  was  it  to  her  proud  heart, 
that  she  was  led  from  thence  to  question  the  truth  of  the  Bible  it- 
self. '  I  suspected' — said  she — '  that  a  system  of  religion  which  in- 
volved such  apparent  absurdities,  could  not  possibly  come  from  God. 
Determining  to  sift  the  matter  to  the  utmost,  I  eagerly  acquainted 
myself  with  the  arguments  for  and  against  Christianity.  My  un- 
derstanding was  convinced  that  the  Scriptures  were  Divine. 
But  my  heart  refused  to  receive  the  conviction.  The  more  my 
reason  ivas  compelled  to  assent  to  their  truth,  the  more  I  secretly 
disliked  the  doctrines  of  the  BibleJ^ 

Continued  resistance  to  convictions  was  the  natural  and  melan- 
choly result  of  this  inquiry.  She  determined  to  lay  the  subject 
aside  for  a  while,  still  '  persuading  herself  that  there  must  be  flaws 
in  the  evidence  of  so  strange  a  history,'  which  only  her  want  of  ma- 
turity of  judgment;  prevented  her  from  discovering.  Those  early 
religious  impressions,  that  usually  form  a  bulwark  against  infidelity, 
in  her  case  proved  a  stumbling-block  to  her  faith.  Ignorant  of  the 
native  bias  of  her  heart  against  the  Gospel,  she  considered  them  as 
the  effect  of  prejudice,  before  her  mind  had  been  intelligently  in- 
formed or  exercised.  She  now,  therefore,  determined  to  burst  her 
chains,  and  to  think  and  examine  for  herself 

Hitherto  she  had  confined  he-r  perplexities  within  her  own  bosom; 
partly  dreading  the  influence  of^xternal  bias,  and  partly  fearing  to 
infuse  into  another's  mind  doubts  concerning  a  book,  which,  she 
could  not  conceal  from  herself,  might  after  all  be  true.  She  en- 
deavored now  to  strengthen  her  mind  by  pursuing  a  course  of  in- 
tellectual study,  with  the  direct  design  of  preserving  herself  from 
becoming  a  dupe  to  "cunningly-devised  fables."  And  here  she  did 
not  fail  subsequently  to  acknowledge  the  special  forbearance  and 
wisdom  of  her  Heavenly  Father.  Justly  might  He  have  deprived 
her  of  that  reason,  which  she  had  so  presumptuously  set  up  in  his 
own  place.  Yet  was  he  pleased  to  overrule  this  waywardness  of 
his  child,  as  an  ultimate  means  of  her  restoration,  in  applying  her 
course  of  mental  discipline  to  the  effectual  discovery  of  the  fallacies 
with  which  she  was  now  deluded. 

The  immediate  effect  however  of  these  studies  was  decidedly  in- 
jurious. Their  absorbing  interest  diverted  her  mind  from  the  main 
subject  of  inquiry  ;  while  they  proved  also  a  temporary  refuge 
against  the  uneasy  disturbance  of  her  conscience.  Even  her  inter- 
vals of  reflection  were  too  easily  soothed  by  tlie  indefinite  postpone- 
inent  of  the  great  concern  to  "a  more  convenient  season."  Occa- 
sional conviclioas  were  indeed  felt,  but  without  any  permanent  or 
practical  influence. 

Through  the  Divine  mercy,  this  state  of  infatuation  did  not  prove 

'Test  of  Truth. 


16  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

of  long  duration.  After  a  few  months'  captivit}^,  she  was  brought, 
though  not  without  severe  conflict  of  mind,  to  tlie  full  Hght  and 
hberty  of  scri[)tural  truth.'  The  conviction  of  the  being  of  a  God, 
in  her  darkest  moments  had  never  wholly  forsaken  her.  A  few 
hours'  contemplation  of  the  starry  heavens  darted  into  her  mind  a 
piercing  reflection  upon  her  stupidity  and  ingratitude,  in  what  she 
justly  called  an  '  unnatural  and  parricidal  attempt  to  banish  God 
from  his  own  creation,  to  depose  him  from  his  natural  supremacy 
over  her  heart.''  Her  whole  hfe  now  appeared  to  her  (what  in- 
deed the  Scriptures  declare  it  to  be),  one  continued  act  of  sin 
and  folly.  Her  convictions,  however,  of  sin — being  wholl}'  un- 
connected with  an}^  discovery  of  the  way  of  forgiveness — natu- 
rally tended  to  despondency.  Every  fresh  sense  of  the  corrup- 
tion of  her  heart,  and  of  the  unsullied  purity  of  the  Divine  char- 
acter, brought  with  it  a  corresponding  sense  of  guilt.  She  could 
expect,  therefore,  nothing  but  punishment  proportioned  to  the  infi- 
nite sinfulness  of  her  offence.  She  could  not  conceive  the  consist- 
ency of  her  forgiveness  with  the  claims  of  Divine  justice  ;  and  the 
alternative  of  her  eternal  punishment  seemed  even  less  dreadful 
than  the  supposition  of  any  inconsistency  in  Him,  who,  in  her  view, 
was  the  perfection  of  holiness.  'I  had  acquired' — she  remarked  — 
'such  a  perception  of  the  beauty  of  holiness,  that  the  thought  of  an 
imholy  God  was  worse  than  liell  to  me.  I  felt  that  I  had  rather 
God  should  pour  on  me  all  the  vials  of  his  wrath,  than  that,  car- 
ried away  by  an  unworlhy  softness  and  weakness,  he  shoidd  for- 
give, and  thereby  encourage  sin.  "To  undergo  eternal  punishment 
was  horrible.  To  acknowledge  an  vnholy  God  was  more  hor- 
rible.''^ 

As  her  last  expedient,  her  despised  Bible  was  brought  to  mind. 
And  'how  different' — she  observes— ' was  the  temper  of  mind,  in 
which  I  now  addressed  myself  to  its  perusnl,  from  lliat  in  which  T 
had  read  it  in  the  commencement  of  my  disbelief  of  Christianity  ! 
I  was  no  longer  a  proud  sophist,  triumphing  in  the  strength  and 
penetration  of  human  reason,  and  in  the  comprehensiveness  of  hu- 
man knowledge.  The  contemplation  of  my  own  ignorance,  weak- 
ness, and  wickedness,  had  laid  my  pride  in  the  dust.  My  eyes  were 
opened  to  view  myself  as  I  really  was — depraved  and  blinded  in 
my  reason,  judgment,  and  understanding.  Ajid  this  is  the  process, 
she  adds,  which  mnst  take  place  in  the  soul  of  every  man,  before 
he  can  purs2ie  the  search  after  truth  hi  a  right  spirit.'''^ 

Her  interest  was  early  directed  to  the  promises  of  Divine  teaching 
to  the  sincere  inquirer  after  truth.  Their  suitableness  fixed  her 
attention.  Their  freeness  encouraged  her  heart.  "Ask,  and  it 
shall  be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find.     He  giveth  his  Holy 

'  It  mny  he  remarked,  that  severe  providential  afflictions  about  this  period  concurred 
with  the  exercises  of  her  own  mind,  to  awaken  her  mind  to  this  se'.f-abasing  recollection 
of  her  fearful  departure  from  God. 

2  Test  of  Truth,  p.  lb.    Compare  Romans  i.  20,  21,  28.  3   ib. 

<TestofTrulli. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  if 

Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him" — especially  arrested  her.*  She  deter- 
rained  to  make  trial  of  them,  conceiving  that  their  fulfilment  in  her 
own  case  would  be  a  '  Test  of  the  Truth''  of  the  book,  which  held 
them  forth  for  !ier  acceplance.  Though  hindered  at  first  by  a  sense 
of  unworthiness,  she  ventured  to  apply  :  justly  considering  tliat 
whatever  mighi,  be  her  apprehensions  of  her  own  demerit,  yet  a 
state  of  submission  and  desire  could  not  he  so  displeasing  to  God, 
as  one  of  carelessness  and  rebellion.'^  But  the  description  of  this 
anxious  crisis  must  be  given  in  her  own  striking  words.  'Impelled 
by  these  reflections — fearful  and  uncertain,  but  with  uncontrollable, 
unutterable  longings,  I  directed  my  applications  '  To  the  lutknown 
God.''  O  my  Kedeemer  !  the  first  breathings  of  my  soul  were  not 
uttered  in  thy  name  !  I  rushed  into  the  presence  of  my  Judge 
without  a  mediator.  But  doubtless  even  then  Thy  comehness  was 
thrown  over  the  deformity  of  my  soul ;  and  the  eye  of  my  Father 
beheld  me  with  pity.'for  thy  dear  name's  sake.  My  prayer  ascen- 
ded up  to  heaven,  fragrant  with  the  incense  of  thy  merits  ;  though 
the  poor  wretch  who  offered  it  thought  to  please  God  by  leaving 
thee  out  of  it.'^ 

In  this  prostration  of  soul,  she  continued  "watching  daily  at  her 
Lord's  gates,  waiting  at  the  posts  of  his  doors."  It  need  scarcely 
be  added — she  did  not  seek  in  vain.^  The  Divine  character  now 
appeared  before  her — not — as  before — in  its  consuming  holiness  ; 
but  in  the  combined  glory  of  holiness  and  love.  Her  apprehensions 
of  sin,  of  Christ,  and  of  the  whole  system  of  Christian  truth,  were 
now  irradiated  with  heavenly  light;  and  with  "simplicity  and 
godly  sincerity"  of  •'  heart,"  she  was  enabled  to  "  believe  unto  right- 
eousness."' The  character  of  Christ,  as  a  proof  of  the  credibility 
of  the  Christian  revelation,  arrested  her  particular  attention.  A 
minute  scrutiny  of  His  spotless  life  was  most  satisfactory  in  its  re- 
sult.^ 'The  more,'  said  she,  'I  studied  this  Divine  character,  the 
more  I  grew  up  as  it  were  into  its  simplicity  and  holiness,  the  more 
my  understanding  was  enabled  to  shake  off  those  slavish  and  sin- 
ful prejudices,  which  had  hindered  me  from  appreciating  its  excel- 
lence. Truly  his  words  were  dearer  to  me  '•  than  my  necessary 
food" — He  was  my  "All  in  all."  I  did  not  want  to  have  any 
knowledge,  goodness,  or  strength,  independently  of  him.  I  had 
rather  be  "  accepted  in  the  Beloved,"  than  received  (had  that  been 

'  Luke  xi.  9—13.  The  drawititr  out  of  this  arjrumcnt  forms  the  first  part  of  the  '  Test 
of  Truth' — upon  which  a  vpiieral»ie  cleriryinan  reaiarivs — 'I  hope  I  have  heen  for  inatiy 
years  a  suitor  for  this  promise.  But  I  never  before  felt  myself  so  intelhcjently  encouraged 
and  animated  to  persist  in  my  humble  petition  for  more  and  more  of  Divine  knowledge.' 
See  also  these  promises,  and  the  whole  subject  of  'The  Test  of  Truth,'  powerfully  illus- 
trated in  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta's  Lectures  on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity — Lecture  xix. 

2  Test  of  Truth. 

"  Ibid.  p.  87  It  may  be  asked — '  Where  was  all  that  knowledge  and  faith  e:xpressed  at 
her  first  reception  of  the  Gospell'  (See  her  letter,  p.  3-6.)  But  in  fact,  her  infidelity 
was  a  black  cloud — intercepting  all  ])resent  apprehensions  of  faith  and  intelligence. 
There  are  eminent  Chri-stians  in  the  Church,  who  have  "entered  into  this  cloud,"  and 
whose  recollections  arc  more  or  less  familiar  with  this  agonizinix  but  triumphant  conflict. 

<  See  Proverbs  viii.  31,  35.     Isaiah  Ixiv.  5;  xlv.  19.       s  Test  of  Truth. 

2 


18  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

possible)  on  the  score  of  tny  own  merits.  I  had  rather  walk,  lean- 
ing upon  his  arm,  than  have  a  stock  of  strength  given  me  to  per- 
form my  journey  alone.  To  learn,  as  a  fool,  of  Christ ;  this  was 
better  to  me  than  to  have  the  knowledge  of  an  angel  to  find  out 
things  for  myself 

After  her  recovery  from  this  fearful  snare  of  Satan,  she  was  mer- 
cifully preserved  from  "  turning  again  to  folly,''  and  led  forth  in 
"  the  patli  of  the  just,"'^  with  increasing  light,  strength,  and  estab- 
Ushment.  'From  that  moment' — she  adds — 'I  ceased  to  stumble 
at  the  doctrines  of  the  cross.  The  doctrines  of  Scripture,  which  had 
before  appeared  to  me  an  inexplicable  mass  of  confusion  and  con- 
tradiction, were  now  written  on  my  understanding  with  the  clear- 
ness of  a  sunbeam.  Above  all,  that  once  abhorred  doctrine  of  the 
Divinity  of  Christ  was  become  exceeding  precious  to  me.  The 
external  evidences  of  Christianity,  though  I  now  perceived  all  their 
force,  were  no  longer  necessary  to  my  conviction.  From  that  time' 
— she  concludes — '  I  have  continued  to  "  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus 
and  to  hear  his  word  ;"  taking  him  for  my  Teacher  and  Guide  in 
things  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual.  He  has  found  in  me  a  disciple 
so  slow  of  comprehension,  so  prone  to  forget  his  lessons,  and  to  act 
in  opposition  to  his  commands,  that,  were  he  not  infinitely  "  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart,"  he  would  long  ago  have  cast  me  off"  in  anger. 
But  he  still  continues  to  bear  with  me,  and  to  give  me  "  hue  upon 
line,  and  precept  upon  precept."  And  I  am  certain  that  he  "  Avill 
never  leave  me,  nor  forsake  me  ;"  for,  though  I  am  variable  and 
inconstant,  "with  him  there  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of 
turning."  '^ 

The  writer  cannot  but  hope,  that  at  this  awful  crisis,  when  a 
moral  pestilence  (far  more  dreadful  than  the  late  cholera  visitation) 
is  stalking  through  the  land,  the  preceding  narrative  may  suggest 
seasonaliie  caution,  conviction,  and  encouragement  to  some,  espe- 
cially of  bis  young  readers.  Let  them  mark  the  connection  of  the 
first  principles  of  infidelity,  v)ith  the  exercise  of  the  understanding 
and  ivith  the  state  of  the  heart. 

1  This  is  not  a  solitary  instance  of  impression  from  the  contemplation  of  the  character 
of  Christ.  Even  Mr.  Chulib  must  have  felt  some  conviction,  when  he  de.scrihes  his  life 
<as  a  beautiful  picture  of  human  nature  in  its  native  purity  and  simy)licity  ;  and  showing 
at  once  whr-.t  excellent  creatures  men  would  be,  when  under  the  influence  and  power  of 
that  Gospel  which  he  preached  unto  them.'  (True  Gospel,  p.  50.)  Rousseau's  exquisite 
contrast  between  Socrates  and  Christ  is  well  known,  concluding  with  the  remarkable  ac- 
knowledgment respectinii  the  hitter—'  The  inventor  of  such  a  personage  would  be  a 
jiiore  astonishing  character  than  the  hero.'  Yet  could  this  man's  heart  resist  the  clear  con- 
viction of  his  judgment — '  I  cannot' — he  subjoins — 'believe  the  Gospel.'  His  Confessions, 
however,  clearly  trace  his  unbelief  to  its  proper  cause — the  love  of  sin.  See  John  iii.  19. 
'20,  a  text  which  throws  more  light  upon  the  sccrcct  springs  of  infidelity,  than  whole 
volumes  that  have  been  written  upon  the  subject. 

2  Psalm  Ixxxv.  8.         Prov.  iv.  IS.  ^ 

3  Test  of  Truth,  pp.  112 — 117.  The  extracts  given  from  this  interesting  little  work, 
will  be  suHiciet»t  to  commend  it  to  the  reader's  attention,  as  the  production  of  an  author 
of  no  common  power,  and  dee|>lv  imbued  with  the  rrlowing  principles  of  the  Gospel.  It 
will  remind  the  reader  of  some  of  Mr.  Scott's  painful  exercises  of  mind  described  ni  his 
'  Force  of  Truth;'  and  of  the  argument  so  successfully  handled  by  Bishop  Burnet  in  his 
disputations  with  Lord  Rochester. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  J9 

Pride  of  intellect  in  Miss  Graham's  case,  was  evidently  one  main 
cause  of  lier  departure  from  God.  When  her  mind  left  the  strong- 
hold of  faith,  her  scriptural  light,  which  could  only  be  apprehended 
through  spiritual  optics,  became  obscured,  until  she  was  gradually 
left  to  the  Egyptian  darkness  of  her  own  understantiing.  And  this 
we  apprehend  to  be  a  very  usual  commencement  of  an  infidel 
course,  upon  principles  equally  opposed  to  reason  and  to  revelation. 
Man,  in  his  prurient  desire  to  pass  the  bounds  of  revelation,  forgets 
that  while  "  the  things  that  are  revealed  belong  to  us  and  to  our 
children,"  the  "  secret  things"  are  no  less  the  property  of  God.' 
As  he  has,  therefore,  reserved  them  for  himself,  this  "  intrusion 
into  the  things  which  we  have  not  seen,"  and  cannot  see,  is  the 
unhallowed  indulgence  of  a  "  fleshly  mind."^  The  extent  and  pre- 
cise boundaries  of  revelation  are  determined  by  infinite  wisdom ; 
and  could  we  discern  them  with  a  single  eye,  they  would  be  found 
equally  illustrative  of  a  high  regard  to  the  happiness  of  man.  A 
more  expanded  view  under  present  circumstances  would  only 
increase  instead  of  clearing  up  our  difficulties.  The  eye  would 
wander  over  the  field  of  infinite  space  with  a  disproportioned  power 
of  perception.  The  objects,  therefore,  would  be  less  distinctly  appre- 
hended ;  and  the  result  would  leave  us  more  restless  and  dissatis- 
fied, while  the  happy  influence  of  humility,  simplicity,  and  faith 
had  been  wholly  disregarded.  If  we  have  not  the  whole  view  before 
us,  let  it  suffice  that  we  have  all  that  is  needful  for  our  hapiness 
and  present  duty.  The  attempt  to  supply  what  we  conceive  to  be 
wanting,  by  the  conjectural  effort  of  reason,  would  be  to  suliject 
"  vain  man"  to  his  Maker's  merited  rebuke — "  Who  is  this  that 
darkeneth  counsel  by  words  without  knowledge 7"^  Every  step  of 
advance  beyond  the  divine  record  is  fraught  with  danger  and  uncer- 
tainty. "In  God's  light"  alone  "can  we  see  light. "^  The  intel- 
lectual "  light  that  is  in  us,"  when  apphed  by  the  pride  of  man  to 
the  contents  of  revelation — "  is  darkness ;  and  how  great  is  that 
darkness  !'"^  Simple  faith,  therefore,  however  mistaken  or  despised, 
may  justly  be  deemed  the  highest  act  of  reason  ;  while  rational 
religion,  '  falsely  so  called,'  may  easily  be  proved  to  be  of  all 
schemes  the  most  irrational.^ 

»  Deut.  xxix.  29.  2  Col.  ii.  18.  3  Job.  xxxviii.  2. 

*  Psalm  xxxvi.  9.  5  Matt.  vi.  23,  with  1  Cor.  ii.  14. 

fi  The  writer  cannot  forbear  to  add  some  admirable  remarks  from  an  unpublished  man- 
uscript of  Miss  Graham's,  shortly  to  be  noticed.  '  It  is  true  that  faith  compels  our  assent 
to  many  things  beyond  the  reach  of  reason,  even  of  the  renewed  reason.  But  this  im- 
plicit credence  is  itself  the  highest  and  noblest  exercise  of  the  understanding.  It  is  a 
reasonable  assent  to  the  testimony  of  One,  in  whom  we  repose  unlimited  confidence,  be- 
cause we  have  reasonable  grounds  for  concluding  him  to  be  infinitely  wiser  than  our- 
selves. An  exercise  of  the  reason  is  pre-supposed,  whereby  we  arc  assured  that  the  Bible 
is  God's  testimony;  and  an  act  of  the  understanding,  whereby,  havinrr  obtained  this  as- 
surance, we  infer,  that  every  word  of  the  Biltle  must  be  true.  The  divine  philosophy  of 
faith,  then,  sets  out  upon  these  two  propositions.  The  first  an  assurance,  founded  in 
reason,  that  the  Bible  is  the  revelation  of  God.  Thesecond  an  inference,  equally  founded 
in  reason,  that  every  word  of  the  Bible  is  true;  and  must  therefore  be  taken  in  preference 
to  all  the  deductions  of  our  own  reason,  which  may  or  may  nothc  true.  Neither  of  these 
propositions  is  shaken  by  the  fact,  that  the  Bible  contains  many  things  which  we  do  not 


20  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

We  would  add  a  few  words  upon  the  connection  of  wfidelitij  rvith 
the  state  of  the  heart.     We  are  not  exclusively  intellectual  beings. 
The  afiections  so  materially  influence  the  judgment,  as  often  to 
incapacitate  it  for  the  accurate  discernment  of  truth.     The  natural 
bias  of  the  heart  is  to  sin,  and  consequently  to  infidelity,  the 
excuse  and  covering  for  sin.     The  point  at  issue  is,  whether  men 
shall  remain  the  servants  of  sin,  or  become  the  servants  of  God — 
whether  they  shall  be  degraded  as  sensual  beings,  or  raised  to  the 
elevation  of  intelligent  or  spiritual  existence.     Now,  as  the  Gospel 
stands  in  the  way  of  natural  indulgence,  it  must  be  removed.     So 
that  if  a  course  of  infidel  reading  or  intercourse  with  scoffers,  has 
not  furnished  the  necessary  arguments,  they  must  be  invented  from 
the  man's  own  heart.     The  danger  of  infidelity  is  not,  therefore, 
confined  to  the  ungodly  and  profane.     Every  unconverted  man 
must  secretly  wish  the  Bible  to  be  untrue  ;  and  under  this  bias  he 
will  (except  restrained  by  an  Almighty  power)  endeavor  to  prove  it 
untrue.     A  wrong  state  of  heart,  as  with  Miss  Graham,  gives  the 
power  and  advantage  to  this  active  and  malignant  principle.     In 
her  early  state  of  child-lilce  simplicity  she  would  have  been  safe. 
But  the  "  fulfilment  of  the  desires  of  the  mind,"  probably  more  than 
of  "the  flesh,"^  combined  with  ignorance  of  "Satan's   devices," 
brought  her  into  his  snare  ;  and  she  was  "  taken  captive  by  him 
at  his  will."2     Depending  upon  the  teaching  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
our  "  path"  in  divine  knowledge  will  be  "as  the  shining  light,  that 
shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."^     And  'whenever' 
(as  an  original  and  powerful  writer  remarks)  he  opens  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  same  light  that  discovers  the  meaning,  will  not  fail  to 
affect  and  make  our  hearts  burn  within  us  with  the  sense  of  divine 
light,  authority,  and  power.     Of  this  the  experience  of   the  people 
of  God,  as  they  grow  in  knowledge,  furnishes  them  daily  with  new 
instances  ;  and  therefore  they  do  not  stumble  at  the  want  of  the 
present  sense  of  that  light,  but  are  quickened  to  diligence,  excited 
to  frequent  cries  for  opening  of  their  eyes,  that  they  may  under- 
stand the  wonders,  that  by  the  knowledge  of  other  parts  of  the 
world,  they  are  induced  to  believe  couched  in  those  parts,  which 
yet  they  know  not.'* 

understand ;  or  in  other  words,  that  God  may  know  many  thincrs  that  we  do  not  know; 
that  many  lliinjrs  may  appear  to  His  infinitely  holy  and  unclouded  understanding,  in  a 
very  different  li^ht  from  that,  in  which  they  are  viewed  by  our  narrow  and  prejudiced 
minds.  When  Uie  first  proposition  is  once  proved  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  mind, 
the  second  must  follow  of  course.  Then  faith,  an  implicit,  child-like  faith,  becomes  the 
only  rational  mode  of  proceedinsr.  Every  departure  from  this  faith  is  a  dey)arture  from 
reason;  an  insult  to  the  understanding;  a  violation  of  common  sense.  And  that  we  do 
make  such  departures,  only  tends  to  prove  that,  while  the  renewed  understanding  "con- 
sents to  the  law  of  God  that  it  is  holy,  just,  and  good,"  "  the  law  of  sin,"  which  is  yet 
workin<T  "in  our  members,"  occasionallv  beclouds  and  perverts  it. 

'  Eph.  ii.  3.  '^  -  Tim.  ii.  96.  3  Prov.  iv.  18. 

<  Halyburton's  Essay  on  the  Nature  of  Faith.  To  the  same  purport  BIr.  Baxter 
writes :  '  I  think  that  in  the  hearing  and  reading  (of  the  Hibic)  God's  Spirit  often  so  con- 
curreth,  as  that  the  will  itself  should  be  touched  with  an  internal  gust  and  savor  of  the 
goodness  contained  in  the  doctrine,  and  at  the  same  time  the  understanding  with  an  in- 
ternal irradiation,  which  breeds  such  a  certain  apprehension  of  the  verity  of  it,  as  nature 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  21 

One  further  remark  suggested  from  this  interesting  record  may- 
serve  to  prevent  unnecessary  distress  and  misconception.  Let  not 
Miss  Graham's  vivid  portraiture  of  her  own  feehngs  and  views  be 
considered  as  a  general  standard,  as  if  the  same  intensity  of  mental 
exercise,  and  clearness  of  spiritual  perception,  \vere  the  exclusive 
evidences  of  a  sound  conversion  of  heart  to  God.  Self-renunciation, 
diligent  investigation  of  divine  truth,  and  a  conscientious  improve- 
ment of  the  liglit  vouchsafed,  are  indeed  indispensable  marks  of 
Christian  sincerity.  Yet  while  the  enjoyment  of  our  high  privileges 
will  vary  in  proportion  to  the  energy  of  these  holy  principles,  the 
measure  of  their  influence  is  almost  indefinitely  diversified  within 
the  precincts  of  the  true  church  of  God.  It  may  also  be  important 
to  observe,  that  many  of  Miss  Graham's  most  painful  trials  (such 
as  her  intellectual  pride)  arose  out  of  the  peculiar  form  of  her 
natural  character.  No  sympathy,  therefore,  can  be  expected,  or 
need  be  desired,  in  minds  cast  in  a  diflferent  mould ;  and  any  effort 
to  excite  or  encourage  it,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  an  ideal 
connection  v/ith  this  object  of  attraction,  (which  would  probably  be 
unaccompanied  with  a  desire  to  imitate  the  spiritual  excellences  of 
the  proposed  model)  can  only  originate  in  deceit,  and  tend  to  self- 
delusion. 

gives  men  of  naturnl  principles.  And  I  am  persuaded  that  this,  increased  by  more  expe- 
rience and  love,  doth  hold  Christians  faster  to  Christ  than  naked  reasonings  could  do. 
And  were  it  not  for  this,  unlearned  ignorant  persons  were  still  in  danger  of  apostasy  by 
every  subtle  caviller  that  assaults  them.  And  I  believe  that  all  true  Christians  have  this 
kind  of  internal  knowledge,  from  a  suitableness  of  the  truth  and  goodness  of  the  Gospel 
to  their  now  quickened,  illuminated  and  sanctified  souls.'  More  Reasons  for  the  Chris- 
tian Religion,  in  reply  to  Lord  Herbert,  and  supplemental  to  his  great  work  in  defence 
of  Cliristianity,  (12  mo.  167"2.  pp.  135,  136.) 


CHAPTER    III. 

GENERAL     SKETCH     OP     MISS    GRAHAM's    LIFE HER    VIEWS    OP 

STUDY EXTENSIVE     ATTAINMENTS    AND    ACTIVE     DEVOTED- 

NESS    TO    GOD. 

Miss  Graham  continued  to  reside  in  London  for  some  time  after 
her  deliverance  from  that  awful  delusion,  into  which  she  had  been 
permitted  to  fall.  The  remembrance,  however,  of  this  temporary 
apostacy  was  '-ever  before  her'"  with  ail  that  holy  shame  and  self- 
abasement,  which  attaches  to  the  "purified  conscience  of  the  par- 
doned sinner^ — humbling  her  in  the  dust,  while  yet  faith,  hope,  love, 
peace,  and  joy,  were  the  dominant  principles  in  her  soul.  Deeply 
also  did  she  feel  the  constraint  of  the  command  given  by  anticipa- 
tion to  a  backsliding  apostle — "  When  tlioii  art  converted  strengthen 
thy  hrethrenP^  It  was  the  great  object  of  her  'Test  of  Truth,'  to 
set  forth  her  own  case  as  a  beacon  of  warning,  an  example  of  en- 
couragement, and  a  monument  of  divine  grace,  for  the  special  use 
of  those  who  may  be  brought  into  the  same  seductive  atmosphere 
of  temptation.  There  is  reason  to  believe,  that  her  work  in  its 
original  form  produced  its  measure  of  conviction  upon  her  principal 
correspondent;  and  we  may  confidently  expect,  that  in  a  wider  cir- 
culation, an  answer  to  her  prayers  for  a  Divine  blessing  upon  it 
will  be  abundantly  manifested.  During  her  residence  in  London, 
the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  Watts  Wilkinson,  and  a  deep  study  of  the 
sacred  volume,  were  the  ordained  means  of  advancing  her  knowl- 
edge and  experience  of  Scriptural  truth.  Her  intellectual  habits 
were  a  source  of  much  gratification  to  lier  ;  and  mainly  contributed, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  to  form  her  character  into  a  mould  of 
solid  and  permanent  usefulness.  It  is,  however,  delightful  to  ob- 
serve her  Christian  simplicity  and  w^atcli fulness,  to  subordinate  these 
valuable  enjoyments  to  the  primary  object  of  the  glory  of  God.  Of 
this  the  following  prayer,  found  among  her  papers,  will  furnish  an 
interesting  and  edifying  illustration. 

'Before  study  of  any  kind,  remember  that  it  is  but  lost  labor  ex- 
cept the  Lord  bless  it. 

Summary  of  things  to  be  sought  of  God  before 

STUDY. 

'  I  desire  tolhank  thee,  my  God  and  Father  in  Christ  Jesus,  for 
this  and  every  other  opportunity  of  improvement  Thou  hast  given 
me.     May  the  opportunity  Thou  hast  given  me  be  blest  of  Thee  ! 

1  Psalm  li.  3.  2  Ezekiel  xvi.  <oL  3  Luke  xxii.  32. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  23 

Enable  me  to  receive  it  with  thanksgiving,  and  sanctify  it  to  me 
by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer.  Oh  let  ine  know  nothing  but 
Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified;  and  other  tilings  just  so  far  0.9 
may  be  for  my  good  and  Thy  glory,  and  no  further.  I  would 
mourn  before  Thee  the  base  ingratitude  with  which  I  have  hitherto 
abused  my  time  and  talents,  by  loving  thy  gifts  more  than  Thee, 
and  seeking  myself,  not  Thee,  in  them.  Now  I  bring  all  my  thingS' 
to  Thee  ;  for  they  are  not  mine,  but  thine  own.  Take  that  ac- 
cursed thing  self  out  of  them  all,  and  condescend  to  use  them  for 
thy  glory.  I  thank  Thee  that  the  meanest  employment  is  accepta- 
ble in  Thy  sight,  when  done  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  May 
I  set  about  this,  in  His  name,  and  in  His  strength,  and  to  His 
glory  !  May  I  not  once  seek  my  own  things  in  it,  but  the  things 
that  are  Jesus  Chrisfs  !  Let  me  no  longer  lean  to  my  own  un- 
derstanding ;  but  may  I  so  acknowledge  Thee  in  all  my  ways,  that 
Thou  mayest  establish  my  thoughts,  and  direct  my  paths  !  Suffer 
me  not  to  be  wise  in  my  own  conceit,  nor  vainly  puffed  up  in  my 
fleshly  mind.  Make  me  to  cease  from  mine  own  wisdom.  Be 
Thou  my  wisdom. 

'  Holy  Lord  God  the  Spirit !  who  dividest  unto  every  man  sever- 
ally as  thou  wilt,  bless  such  of  my  studies,  and  in  such  a  degree  as 
may  be  most  to  thy  glory.  If  it  be  thy  will,  prepare  me  by  them 
for  the  work,  to  which  I  desire  thou  wouldest  call  and  separate  me.* 
I  commit  this  work  to  which  1  would  devote  myself,  into  Thy 
hands.  Prosper  it  or  not  as  Thou  seest  good.  Thy  will  be  done 
respecting  it ;  only  take  all  self-seeking  out  of  it  ;  get  Thyself 
glory.  Lord,  in  all  that  I  do,  and  keep  me  from  ever  wishing  to  rob 
Thee  of  Thy  glor}^.  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt  bless  me  abundantly,  grant 
that  in  whatever  Thou  givest  me,  I  n)ay  remember  I  have  received 
it,  and  not  glory  as  if  1  had  not  received  it.  I  set  myself  to  this  em- 
ployment in  the  name  of  Jesus:  may  I  have  fellowship  with  Him 
in  it !  Let  it  not  become  a  snare  to  me  ;  but  may  the  Lord,  who 
is  my  confidence,  preserve  my  foot  from  being  taken  in  this  net, 
which  has  so  often  entangled  me  ! 

'O  Thou  glorifier  of  Jesus  !  take  of  the  things  that  are  His,  and 
show  them  unto  me,  and  unto  all  Thy  people,  with  such  liglit  and 
power,  that  our  wills,  desires,  and  aftections  maybe  quite  swallowed 
up  in  His  love.  Let  us  have  no  v^'ill  but  Thy  most  holy  will.  Con- 
vince us  that  all  things  else  are  mere  dross  and  dung,  in  comparison 
with  that  most  excellent  knowledge  of  our  dear  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  which  do  thou  give  us  every  day  more  abundantly, 
making  us  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth  knowledge. 
Even  so,  Holy  Spirit,  for  the  sake  of  Thy  great  mercies  in  Christ 
Jesus,  to  whom,  with  Thee  and  the  Father,  be  all  the  honor,  all 
the  praise,  and  all  the  glory,  now  and  for  ever.     Amen.' 

1  This  was  a  plan  which  lay  very  near  her  heart,  for  the  gratuitous  Instruction  of  the 
children  of  Missionaries,  and  of  Christians  in  reduced  circumstances,  with  a  view  to  qual- 
ify them  for  the  situation  of  teachers. 


24  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

In  the  same  spirit,  an  extract  from  a  letter  to  a  yoimg-  friend  en- 
gaged in  tlie  work  of  tuition,  gives  the  following  sensible  advice, 
with  a  modest  reference  to  her  own  case. 

March  22,  1827. 

'You  ask  me  whether  I  think  study  is  wrong.  I  think,  on  tlie 
contrary,  if  we  study  with  a  view  to  the  glory  of  God,  it  becomes  a 
duty  to  do  so.  If  we  study  merely  to  please  ourselves,  I  think  ii  is 
wrong.  Your  situation  seems  to  render  study  necessary  ;  and 
whence  reiiect  how  few  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  (caching,  are 
truly  pious,  it  ought  to  stir  us  up  to  the  best  improvement  of  our 
time  and  talents.  The  love  of  study  and  mental  amusements  has 
been  my  great  snare,  and  has  so  very  often  led  me  astray,  that  I 
have  been  tempted  to  give  it  up  altogether.  I  feel  thankful  to  God 
that  whenever  I  have  begun  to  make  some  progress  in  my  favorite 
study.  He  has  thwarted  my  attempt  to  excel  by  some  seasonable 
interruption,  a  fit  of  illness  or  some  domestic  trial.  But  when  I 
think,  how  very  useful  a  moderate  degree  of  mental  cultivation  may 
make  me,  and  particularly  that  it  seems  the  way  of  usefulness  most 
suitable  to  me,  if  I  should  recover  my  strength, '  I  mean  to  resume 
it  as  soon  as  I  can  ;  and  I  hope  in  Christ,  through  whose  goodness 
every  opportunity  of  improvement  is  given,  that  he  will  not  sufter 
these  opportunities  to  become  hindrances  to  my  advancement  in  the 
knowledge  of  him.  Let  us  pray  to  be  taught  to  feel,  that  all 
earthly  knowledge  is  mere  dross  and  dung,  in  comparison  with  the 
most  excellent  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ; 
and  then  I  trust  we  may  pursue,  without  abusing  it,  only  taking 
care  never  to  neglect  any  present  duty,  or  any  spiritual  duty  for  it.' 

But  we  will  here  give  some  large  extracts  from  an  unpublished 
Treatise  '  On  the  Intellectual,  Moral,  and  Religious  uses  of  Mathe- 
matical Science,'  as  conveying  her  full  and  matured  sentiments 
upon  this  important  subject."^ 

1  See  note  p.  323. 
2  We  subjoin  an  analysis  of  this  Manuscript,  which  will  give  some  view  of  the  extent, 
general  accuracy,  and  spiritual  character  of  Miss  Graham's  mind.  Introduction.  Chap- 
ter I.  The  Usefulness  of  Mathematics  in  learning  to  reason— Groundwork  of  Mathe- 
matical Sciences.  Art  of  stating  a  Question— Modes  of  Demonstration— Analysis — Con- 
nection— Art  of  Simplifying  Processes — Intermediate  principles.  Chapter  II.  The 
Beneficial  Influence  of  Mathematics  upon  some  parts  of  the  Intellectual  and  Moral  Char- 
acter— Attention — Abstraction — Penetrativeness  and  Invention — Arrangement — Moral 
Habits  of  Mind.  Chapter  III,  The  Disadvantages  of  Mathematical  Studies— Engross- 
ing attention  of  the  Pursuit — Contempt  or  Mistrust  of  other  Evidence — EtTect  on  the 
linaginative  Faculties.  Chapter  IV^  The  advantage  of  Mathematical  Science,  and  of 
the  Cultivation  of  Reason  in  general,  considered  in  a  religious  point  of  view.  Chapter 
V.  A  review  of  the  Disadvantages  and  Temptations  to  which  the  religious  Student  is  ex- 
posed. In  the  Introduction  she  specifies  the  persons  for  whom  she  primarily  wrote,— 
'those  who,  in  the  ardor  of  their  pursuit  after  human  learning,  are  not  unmindful  of  its 
immeasurable  inferiority  to  "  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above."  '  To  them' — she  re- 
marks— 'study  of  every  kind  presents  considerations  of  higher  import  than  even  the  in- 
tellectual benefits  that  are  reaped  from  it.  The  introduction  of  religion  into  secular  mat- 
ters is  too  often  censured  as  impertinent  and  unseasonable ;  and  many  will  think  it 
wholly  out  of  place  in  a  work  confessedly  on  science.  I  can  only  reply' — she  adds — 'by 
the  simple  confession,  that  I  should  grieve  to  be  acquainted  with  that  science,  which 
might  not,  under  God,  forward  in  some  way  or  other  the  grand  object  of  my  existence. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  25 

Speaking  of  study  generally,  slie  marks  with  accurate  discrimina- 
tion, the  different  principles  of  the  wordly  and  the  Christian  student. 

'  Many  and  varied  are  the  motives  by  which  the  worldly  student 
is  actuated.  But  his  views  all  centre  in  some  way  or  other  in  his 
own  person.  Self-gratitication,  self-advancement,  self-interest,  are 
mingled  with  them  all.  The  Christian  student  is  also  variously 
intluenced.  But  he  has  learned  to  transfer  all  his  actions  to  another 
centre.  The  glory  of  his  reconciled  God  is  the  point  on  which 
they  all  tmn,  the  compass  by  which  they  are  all  duected.  The 
outward  conduct  of  the  two  characters  may  present  many  points  of 
similarity.  Their  inward  intentions  are  totally  and  irreconcilably 
different.  The  intrinsic  excellence  of  science,  its  ennoblino-  intluence 
upon  the  mind,  the  delights  that  are  to  be  enjoyed  in  the  pursuit  of 
it,  and  the  benefits  that  are  to  be  reaped  in  its  attaiiunent; — these 
are  objects  common  to  the  man  of  the  world,  and  to  the  rehgious 
man.  But  mark  wherein  the  difference  consists.  With  the  former 
they  are  primary  objects  of  consideration  ;  the  latter  beholds  them 
only  in  a  secondary  point  of  view.  The  Christian  student  is  far 
from  despising  the  advantages  of  study.  He  has  felt  what  it  is  to 
thirst  after  knowledge,  and  he  possesses  a  keen  relish  for  the  pleas- 
ures of  intellect.  But  he  puts  all  these  considerations  away  from 
him  till  he  has  answered  a  question  of  higher  importance.  His 
first  inquiry  is— '  How  shall  I  study  for  God  7  How  shall  I  render 
my  acquirements  subservient  to  his  glory  T  If  he  cannot  answer 
the  question  to  his  complete  satisfaction,  the  uneasy  recurrence  of 
it  will  prove  a  continual  drawback  to  the  spirited  and  successful 
prosecution  of  his  studies.' 

Upon  a  very  prevalent  misconception  upon  this  subject  she  gives 
the  following  just  remarks: — 

'It  has  been  too  much  the  practice  with  a  well-meaning  but 
injudicious  portion  of  the  religious  world,  to  decry  human  learning, 
as  if  it  were  a  thing  absolutely  unchristian  and  pernicious.  They 
attack  it  in  the  gross,  and  apply  to  it  all  that  the  Scripture  has  said 
concerning  "  the  v.isdom  of  this  world."  They  appear  to  forget, 
that  these  censmes  a|)ply  not  to  the  use,  but  to  the  abuse,  of  human 
learning.  Those  who  "  lean  to  their  own  understandings,"  who  are 
"  wise  in  their  own  conceits,"  who  set  human  wisdom  in  the  place 
of  the  Holy  Ghost's  teaching — these  are  the  wise  and  learned,  of 
whom  the  Scripture  affirms,  that  the  things  of  the  kingdom  are  hid 
from  their  eyes.'      But  the  description   was  never  meant  for  the 

"Thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  to  thy  children,  and  shall  talk  of  them,  when  thou 
sittest  in  thine  house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest  down, 
and  when  thou  risest  up."  (Deut.  vi.  7.)  These  are  the  "commands  of  God  concerning 
the  momentous  truths  of  Scripture.  They  leave  us  very  little  time  for  science,  indepen- 
dent of  religion.  Every  believer  in  the  Bible  will  endeavor  to  act  in  the  spirit  of  these 
words.  He  will  consider  that  time  as  lost,  which  is  spent  without  regard  to  eternity  ;  and 
that  learning  as  useless,  which  he  cannot  employ  in  subservience  to  heavenly  knowledge.' 
This  valuable  manuscript  was  written  about  two  years  before  her  death.  She  had  in- 
tended, during  her  last  illness,  to  have  revised  it  for  publication.  But  increasing  weak- 
ness, and  the  overwhelming  impressions  of  the  near  prospect  of  eternity,  compelled  her 
to  relinquish  her  design.  i  Matt.  xi.  25. 


26  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

discouragemeni  of  those,  who  pursue  human  study  in  a  simple, 
child-hke  dependence  upon  God,  It  sometimes  happens,  that  the 
young  convert,  full  of  rehgious  zeal,  and  possessed  wiili  some  vague 
and  ill-defined  notion  of  the  worthless  and  ensnaring  nature  of 
human  learning,  is  led  by  a  mistaken  sense  of  duty  either  entirely 
to  abandon  it,  or  greatly  to  slacken  his  efforts  in  the  attainment  of 
it,  and  so  to  shut  himself  out  from  a  wide  field  of  future  usefulness.' 

Upon  the  lawfulness  of  study  she  draws  the  line  with  great  pre- 
cision and  Christian  simplicity. 

'Does  the  time' — she  asks — 'you  now  devote  to  study,  break  in 
upon  any  known  and  immediate  call  of  duty?  If  it  does,  your  way 
is  clearly  pointed  out.  No  prospect  of  future  good  can  justify  you 
in  the  neglect  of  yrescnt  duty.  Your  studies  must,  according  to 
circumstances,  be  wholly  abandoned,  or  laid  aside,  till  you  can 
resume  them  without  feeling  that  conscience  is  drawing  y6u  another 
way.  Perhaps  you  are  ready  to  exclaim,  that  "  this  is  a  hard  say- 
ing." You  cannot  contentedly  resign  or  postpone  your  hopes  of 
mental  improvement.  Still  less  can  you  consent  to  hazard  the  loss 
of  all  that  you  have  already  acquired.  Suffer  me  to  remind  you  of 
two  points  of  view,  in  which  it  imports  you  to  consider  this  question. 

'  I  readily  admit,  that  the  studies  of  wordly  men  may  be  success- 
ful, notwithstanding  the  evil  spirit  in  which  they  are  prosecuted. 
"  They  have  their  reward."  But  nothing  that  you  do  can  prosper, 
without  the  divine  blessing.  This  must  be  the  crown  of  your 
undertakings,  or  you  labor  in  vain.  If  you  know  anything  of  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  you  make  it  your  constant  request,  that  all  your 
doings  may  prosper,  as  far  as  they  will  promote  the  glory  of  God, 
and  no  further.  In  answer,  then,  to  your  own  petition,  God  must 
withhold  his  blessing  from  your  most  laudable  employments,  if  they 
do  not  lie  in  the  direct  path  of  duty.  On  this  account  you  have  no 
rational  prospect  of  success.  If  you  do  succeed,  be  assured  that 
some  root  of  bitterness  will  spring  up  from  the  very  accomplishment 
of  your  purposes.  To  continue  your  studies,  therefore,  under  exist- 
ing circumstances,  would  be  to  subject  yourself  to  certain  vexation 
and  disappointment. 

'  On  the  other  hand,  I  would  remind  you,  that  if  you  simply 
attend  to  your  duty,  and  resolutely  forego  the  most  beloved  pursuits 
the  moment  they  come  into  competition  with  it,  there  is  no  fear  that 
you  should  lose  anything  by  such  conduct.  He  who  made  and 
who  preserves  j^our  intellectual  faculties,  can  surely  enable  them  to 
retain  anything  that  will  be  really  useful  to  you.  Your  small  stock 
of  knowledge  will,  with  his  blessing,  carry  you  further  than  the 
acquisition  of  the  whole  circle  of  human  science  could  do  without 
it.  We  may  affirm  of  intellectual  gains,  no  less  than  of  those 
which  are  gross  and  tangible,  that  "  a  little  that  a  righteous  man 
hath,  is  better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked."'  We  are  com- 
manded to  "  be  careful  for  nothing,  but  in  everything  to  make  our 

'  Psalm  xxxvii.  16. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  27 

requests  known  unto  God."^  You  may  therefore  in  faith  comnnit 
your  studies  and  acquirements  to  Him.  You  may  freely  ask,  and 
confidently  expect,  that  he  will  take  care  of  thein  for  you,  and 
return  them  to  you,  whenever  they  shall  be  wanted  for  his  service.' 

The  lawfiihiess  of  study  being  proved,  its  exjiediency,  import- 
ance, and  responsibility  are  next  considered. 

'But  perhaps  the  contrary  to  all  this  is  your  case.  You  feel 
that  you  can  devote  a  certain  portion  of  your  time  to  study,  without 
infrintjing  upon  any  prior  and  more  imperious  demand  of  duty.  If 
it  be  thus  with  you,  your  studies  are  undoubtedly  laiiiful.  It  only 
remains  to  inquire,  how  far  they  may  be  expedient  for  you. 

'Of  this,  you  must  yourself  be  the  best  judge.  It  must  depend 
on  a  variety  of  circumstances — the  particular  bent  of  your  talent; 
the  opportunities  of  improvement  whicli  lie  within  your  reach; 
your  present  situation,  or  your  future  prospects  of  life.  Let  us  sup- 
pose that  all  or  any  of  these  combine  in  such  a  degree,  as  to  give 
you  reason  to  hope  that  your  studies  may  open  a  door  of  usefidness. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  convince  you,  that  no  fancied  dread  of  the 
snares  and  temptations  attendant  upon  human  learning  ought  to 
deter  you  from  the  pursuit.of  it.  In  your  case  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge  is  not  merely  a  permitted  employment,  but  a  positive 
duty.  God  has  made  nothing  in  vain.  He  has  given  us  nothing, 
which  we  may  not  use  to  his  glory.  This  we  admit  without  re- 
luctance in  reference  to  every  minor  blessing,  with  which  his 
bounty  lias  enriched  us.  We  acknowledge,  that  our  health,,  time, 
riches,  influence,  are  all  intrusted  to  us  for  God's  service,  and  ca- 
pable of  being  used  to  his  glory.  But  do  not  they  make  a  strange 
exception  to  this  general  admission,  who  so  roundly  assert  the  utter 
inefficiency  of  human  reasoning,  and  of  human  learning?  If  so 
many  things,  which  we  possess  in  common  with  unbelievers,  may 
yet  be  legitimately  improved  to  the  glory  of  God,  why  is  the  under- 
standing to  be  excepted?  Why  must  that  best  and  fairest  of  God's 
common  gifts  be  suffered  to  lie  waste,  only  because  it  is  a  common 
one?  None  can  deprecate  more  earnestly  than  I  do  the  idea,  that 
the  unassisted  light  of  human  reason  can  ever  make  us  wise  unto 
salvation.  But  shall  we  therefore  say,  that  the  reason  takes  no 
part  whatever  in  our  reception  of  truth  ?  Remember  that  he  who 
gives  you  spiritual  teaching  is  the  very  same  who  gave  you  this 
human  understanding.  He  gave  you  not  tlie  former  to  supersede 
and  overpower,  but  to  guide  and  enlighten,  the  latter.  Both  are 
alike  his  gifts;  and  though  the  one  is  inferior  to  the  other,  and 
useless  witliout  its  aid,  yet  we  must  neither  neglect  nor  despise 
him.  Nothing  that  he  gives  can  be  worthless.  So  much  for  rea- 
son itself.  And  as  for  those  parts  of  human  learning,  which  con- 
tribute to  strengthen  and  improve  this  faculty,  they  are  also  given 
by  God ;  means  which  he  has  adapted  to  the  fulfilment  of  no 
ignoble  purpose.     We  are  just  as  much  bound  to  use  tliose  instru- 

1  Phil.  iv.  6. 


28  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

ments.  which  Providence  has  placed  within  our  reach  for  the  culti- 
vation of  our  understanding?,  as  we  are  bound  to  attend  to  the 
culture  of  our  fields.  Nay,  unless  we  deny  that  our  minds  are  bet- 
ter things  tlian  our  fields,  we  are  more  called  upon  to  encourage 
the  growth  of  tlie  former  than  of  the  latter.  If  God  has  given  you 
superior  faculties,  and  the  means  of  improving  them,  there  cannot 
be  a  more  manifest  token,  that  he  intends  they  should  be  improved. 
Tlie  parable  of  the  talents  is  never  more  fairly  exemplified,  than 
when,  in  the  way  of  duty,  we  go  and  trade  with  the  natural  abili- 
ties which  our  Divine  Master  has  distributed  to  us,  till  we  can 
bring  them  back  to  liini  with  the  grateful  acknowledgment — "Lord, 
thy  jwund  hath  gained  ten  pounds.'" 

'  If,  then,  you  are  possessed  of  superior  powers  of  mind,  remem- 
ber, that  the  source  from  whence  they  emanate  is  divine.     Esteem 
the  gift  very  highly  for  the  Giver's  sake  ;  and  seek  to  bring  it  to 
that  perfection,  of  which  he  has  made  it  susceptible.     Use  your 
talents,  as  not  abusing  them.     Keep  them  in  the  dependent,  subor- 
dinate station  which  they  are  intended  to  occupy.     Expect  not  from 
them  more  than  they  are  capable  of  performing.     But  expect  some- 
thing from  them.     Do  something  with  thetn.     Cannot  you  find 
any*use  for  them?     Take  them  to  God.     He  has  large  fields  for 
their  employment.     There  is  ample  room  in  his  vineyard.     Pray 
that  he  v.'ould  send  you  forth  to  labor  in  some  way  or  other  in  that 
plenteous  harvest,  whose  laborers  are  so  few.     There  is  nothing  so 
sweet,  as   this  simple   conuiiittal  of  your  way  to  one,  who  is  infi- 
nitely able  to  guide  and  protect  you  in  it.     "In  all  thy  ways  ac- 
knowledge him,  and   he  shall  direct  thy  paths."^     Then  they  be- 
come paths  of  usehilness  indeed.     The  most  brilliant  fancy,  the 
profoundest  judgment,  the  clearest  understanding,  the  most  exten- 
sive learning,  are  in  themselves  less  than   nothing.     But  entreat 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  them ;  and  you   shall  find  they  will  be 
worth  juvt°so  much  as  he  pleases.     The  infidel  exerts  the  whole 
force  of  his  understanding,  blinded  as  it  is  by  the  god  of  this  world, 
in  opposing  the  doctrine  of  the  cross.     Let  yours,  illumined  by  a 
beam  from  tlie  fountain  of  light,  be  no  less  unequivocally  devoted 
to  the  service  of  the  cross.     Think  not  the  time  lost  that  you  spend 
in  study,  if  you  are  studying  in  and  for  God.     Do  not  say — 'I  \yill 
lay  aside  the  vanity  of  humin  learning,  and  trust  only  to  the  divine 
teaching  for  powers  of  sound  argument  and   appropriate  expres- 
sion.'    You  might  with  equal  justice  say — '  I  will  abandon  the 
superfluous  toil  6f  ploughing  my  lands,  and  confide  in  Providence 
for  a  plentiful  crop.'    It  is  true  in  both  these  cases,  that  the  increase 
Cometh  from  God  only ;  but  it  is  no  less  true,  that  he  will  have  the 
planting  and  the  watering  to  be  ours.     God  will  not  help  you,  if 
you  refuse  to  help  yourself.     The  trust  of  the  slothful  is  an  im- 
pious and  a  foolhardy  trust.     His  mind,  like  his  vineyard,  shall  be 
grown  over  with  weeds, 

«  Luke  XIX.  I'i— 16.  ^  Proverbs  iii.  6. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  ^& 

'In  intellectual,  as  well  as  in  spiritual  <?irts,  "  the  Spirit  divideth 
unto  every  man  severally  as  he  will."  Thus  we  read  (hat ''Be- 
zaleel  was  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  all  manner  of  workman- 
ship, to  work  all  manner  of  work,  of  (he  engraver,  and  of  the  cun- 
ning workman,  and  the  embroiderer.'"  And  if  these  meaner  (alents 
come  directly  from  him,  how  much  more  the  uobler  properties  of 
the  understanding!  Are  you  indebted  to  his  bounty  for  the  pos- 
session of  a  piercing  and  commanding  intellect,  and  strong  powers 
of  reason  ?  I  am  sure  he  did  not  give  them  to  you  for  nothing. 
Why  fold  that  napkin  round  them?  It  is  your  Lord's  treasure. 
What  possible  right  have  you  to  "  bury  it  in  the  earth  ?"  Uo  what 
you  will  with  your  own,  if  indeed  you  can  find  anything  which  is 
your  own.  But  beware  how  you  trifle  with  what  is  his.  He  is 
coming,  and  will  expect  to  "receive  it  with  usury. ''- 

'Consider— had  (hose  powers  of  mind  belonged  to  you  as  the 
bondman  of  Satan,  how  would  you  have  toiled  to  perfect  them  for 
his  service  !  How  much  mischief  would  you  have  contrived  to  do 
with  them  !  And  shall  "  the  Lord's  freeman"  take  no  pains  to 
improve  his  talents  in  his  Redeemer's  cause?  Shall  no  good  be 
done  with  them,  now  that  they  are  Christ's?  It  is  in  truth  a 
strange  doctrine,  that  they  must  lie  dormant,  because  Satan  has  no 
longer  any  claim  upon  their  exertion, 

'  Why  is  it,  that  we  have  such  a  dread  of  calling  in  the  aid  of 
our  reasoning  powers?  Is  it  not  because  we  look  upon  reason  as 
something  of  our  own?  If  we  reason  in  faith,  is  it  not  the  Spirit 
of  our  Father  speaking  within  us,  just  as  much  as  in  any  other 
mode  of  addressing  the  unconverted?  If  we  employ  human  nieans 
only  so  far  as  we  have  the  warrant  of  Scripture,  of  past  experience 
and  of  present  providences  ;  if  we  cultivate  our  faculties  in  the 
huml)lest  and  simplest  dependence  upon  God  ;  surely  this  is  neither 
making  flesh  our  arm,  nor  "leaning  to  our  own  understanding." '^ 
Some  difficulties  connected  with  study  are  then  discussed  in 
interesting  connection  with  Christian  principles. 

'I  cannot  but  attribute  many  of  the  difficulties  which  perplex 
and  obstruct  the  Christian  student,  to  his  not  studying  sufficiently 
in  faith.  We  do  not  pursue  our  intellectual  contemplations  in  the 
same  simple,  child-like  dependence,  which  we  are  sometimes  en- 
abled to  carry  into  our  other  duties.  We  make  study  an  employ- 
ment too  entirely  secular.  We  are  apt  to  consider  it  as  something 
wholly  apart  from  religion.  It  is  one  of  those  subjects,  upon  which 
we  do  not  permit  ourselves  to  converse  freely  with  our  heavenly 
Father.  To  apply  to  him  at  every  step  for  counsel  and  assistance, 
would  convey  to  us  an  idea  of  presumption.  We  are  afraid  to  trifle 
with  the  majesty  of  God,  by  expecting  that  he  will  take  an  interest 
in  the  mere  earthly  improvement  of  the  intellect.  That  he  both 
gave  us  this  intellect,  and  bestowed  on  us  the  means  of  its  cultiva- 
tion, is  admitted  by  us  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt.     We 

1  Exodus  XXXV.  30—35.        2  Matthew  xx.  27.     Luke  xix.  20—23.        3  Proverbs  iii.  5. 


30  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

adore  the  bounty  which  has  adorned  and  enriched  us.  But  we 
hesitate  to  believe  in  a  condescension  which  shall  stoop  to  noti.e  the 
petty  progress  of  each  minute  portion  of  this  intellect,  and  make  its 
daily  and  hourly  advancement  the  object  of  benevolent  concern.  I 
would  not.  my  beloved  fellow  Christians,  utter  one  single  expression 
which  might  impair  your  veneration  for  the  Divine  Majesty.  But 
in  this  timid  reserve  I  perceive  no  marks  of  genuine  veneration. 
Your  privilege  is  to  draw  near  to  God,  with  the  tender  reverence, 
the  sacred  familiarity  of  a  beloved  child.  To  shrink  from  his  pre- 
sence with  the  retiring  fearfulness  of  a  slave,  is  to  dishonor  the 
scripture  representation  of  his  attributes.  And  in  which  of  your 
earthly  affliirs  can  you  hope  that  the  benevolence  of  your  Father 
will  be  interested,  if  not  in  the  cultivation  of  your  reason  ?  It  is 
the  gift  by  which  he  has  distinguished  you  from  the  rest  of  his 
earthly  creation.  It  is  that  which  stamps  you  with  the  impress  of 
Divinity,  which  tells  you,  you  are  born  to  immortality.  The  im- 
mensity of  condescension  by  which  the  Most  High  bends  his 
regard  to  any  of  our  paltry  concerns,  is  indeed  beyond  conception, 
as  it  is  beyond  praise.  But  if,  where  all  is  so  unworthy,  I  might 
dare  to  mention  one  thing  as  less  unworthy  of  his  notice,  it  would 
be  the  progress  of  the  mind.  We  "  are  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made."  But  our  intellectual  faculties  are  the  surpassing  wonder, 
the  crowning  excellence  of  God's  creation.  The  countless  worlds 
that  are  scattered  over  the  infinity  of  space,  declare  the  glory  of 
God.  The  magnificence  which  created,  the  strength  which  up- 
holds, the  wisdom  which  governs  the  mighty  system,  afford  inex- 
haustible matter  of  wonder  and  adoration.  But  the  intellect,  which 
is  able  to  reflect  upon  all  this,  is  something  far  more  admirable,  in 
which  the  glory  of  God  is  more  greatly  conspicuous.  The  original 
formation  of  reason  is  not,  however,  more  wonderful,  than  the 
improvement  of  which  it  is  capable.  A  man  of  a  highly  cultivated 
understanding  appears  altogether  a  being  of  a  different  order  from 
one  wholly  destitute  of  the  advantages  of  education.  Reason,  as  it 
is  the  noblest  of  our  faculties,  so  it  is  the  most  capable  of  being  con- 
ducted to  a  high  degree  of  perfection.  And  God  is  glorified  in  the 
perfection  of  liis  works.  When  therefore  you  cannot  confidently 
look  for  communion  with  God  in  the  exercises  of  your  understand- 
ing; when  you  are  afraid  to  expect  his  co-operation  in  the  use  of 
the  meanest  of  those  human  aids  which  he  has  given  you  for  its 
improvement,  it  can  only  be  accounted  for  in  two  ways.  This  hesi- 
tation proceeds  either  from  the  absence  of  a  religious  motive,  or  from 
an  infirmity  of  faith.  If  you  have  no  decidedly  religious  motives 
for  your  studies,  I  do  not  see  how,  with  any  color  of  propriety,  you 
can  devote  yourself  to  them  at  all.  I  am  not  surprised  to  hear  that 
doubts  and  difficulties  throng  your  path.  But  if  you  are  seeking 
to  cultivate  your  understanding  with  a  single  eye  to  God's  glory, 
you  may  so  conduct  each  one  of  yoiu"  literary  employments  as  to 

'  Psabn  cxxxix.  14. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  31 

enjoy  his  presence  all  the  time  you  are  engaged  in  it.  Yon  may 
draw  near  to  God  even  in  your  studious  hours.  He  will  not  despise 
anything  that  you  do  for  him.  His  love  accepts  your  worthless  ser- 
vices with  as  much  complacency  as  the  princely  obedience  of  an 
angel.  I  repeat  it  ;  to  study  in  foith,  in  a  humble^  simple,  child- 
like faith,  removes  every  perplexity  and  temptation  incident  to  its 
pursuit.  Your  employments  will  then  cease  to  appear  altogether 
secular.  Cultivating  your  reason  as  God's  gift,  and  assured  that 
he  beholds  not  with  indifference  your  feeble  attempts  to  glorify  him 
in  this  greatest  wonder  of  his  creative  power  ;  its  commonest  exer- 
cises will  become  in  a  measure  sacred  as  the  exercises  of  religion. 
Spiritual  improvement,  with  no  lingering  step,  will  accompany 
your  intellectual  progress.  "Holiness  to  the  Lord"  will  be  written 
upon  the  most  trivial  of  your  studies.' 

The  influence  of  a  vain-glorious  spirit,  as  the  canker  upon  this 
holy  principle  of  faith,  is  pointedly  illustrated. 

'  When  once  the  thought  of  what  men  will  say  of  us  is  permitted 
to  mingle  with  our  studies,  all  spiritual  comfort  in  them  is  at  an 
end.  Our  faith  must  necessarily  languish.  It  can  no  longer  be  a 
living  faith — an  active  principle.  "How  can  ye  believe,  which  re- 
ceive honor  one  of  another?"  was  the  severe  rebuke  of  Jesus  to  the 
vain-glorious  Pharisees.'  When  I  observe  a  Christian  delighted 
with  the  homage  that  is  paid  to  his  eloquence,  his  judgment,  or  his 
taste— should  he  tell  me,  that  his  "  love  is  not  waxing  cold" — that 
his  faith  is  as  strong  as  when  none  but  God  cared  for  his  obscure 
name,  I  should  be  beyond  measure  astonished  at  such  a  circum- 
stance, if,  indeed,  I  could  credit  its  reahty.  But  in  truth,  the  as- 
sertion only  proves  that  the  man's  heart  must  be  already  "  hardened 
through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin  ;"  or  that  he  has  never  known  what 
true  faith  is  ;  for  '•  how  can  he  believe,"  so  long  as  he  is  "  receiving 
honor  from  men  ?"  '^ 

The  snare  of  self-indulgence  connected  with  study,  is  most  profit- 
ably treated. 

'  I  have  all  along  supposed,  that  you  are  studying  with  a  view 
to  the  benefit  of  others,  rather  than  to  your  own  gratification.  Yet 
even  in  this  case  self-indulgence  may  insinuate  itself  into  your  pur- 
suits. If  you  possess  a  talent  for  them,  they  will  prove  so  attractive 
to  you,  that  you  will  become  attached  to  them  for  their  own  sake. 
Yo'u  will  be  tempted  to  prolong  your  pleasing  employments,  and 
suffer  them  gradually  to  steal  something  from  the  time  appointed 
for  other  duties.  We  have  already  touched  upon  the  absorbing 
nature  of  our  mathematical  studies,  and  the  intellectual  disadvan- 
tages, which  ensue  from  giving  way  to  their  silent  encroachments. 

1  John  V.  44.  •     •      I, 

2  To  one  of  her  correspondents  she  expresses  hor  own  perplexity  about  continiiing  her 
studies  on  account  of  the  snares  which  she  had  found  in  them.  '  I  reflect  that  study  has 
been  to  ine  hke  the  stuff  of  Achan,  beneath  whieh  was  concealed  the  cursed  thing.  1 
know  that  my  cursed  thins  is  self-love,  and  seeking  my  own  wdl,iionor  pleasure,  and 
wisdom— a7i<i  not  those  of  Jesus.'     See  also  her  letter,  March  22,  lb21,  p.  2b. 


32  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

These,  however,  are  of  small  moment,  when  compared  with  their 
coiroJiug  iiitiueiice  upon  our  spiritual  enjoyment.  An  excessive 
fondness  for  tliese  abstruse  meditations,  a  habit  of  indulging  in  them 
for  their  own  sake,  will  be  as  a  worm  at  the  root  of  our  communion 
with  God.  A  lamentable  declension  from  his  ways,  will  be  the 
probable  consequence.  By  insensible  degrees  the  thoughts  of  our 
literary  pursuits  will  begin  to  mingle  with  our  serious  meditations. 
Then,  the  hour  of  study  will  break  in  upon  the  hour  of  prayer,  and 
perhaps  in  time  miy  totally  interrupt  or  supersede  it.  Who  can 
tell  the  train  of  evils,  which  will  follow  such  an  intermission  of  our 
spiritual  watchfulness  ?  When  prayer  is  omitted,  study  is  unsancti- 
fied.  Every  selfi-h  motive  has  free  permission  to  enter;  nay,  is  in- 
vited, as  it  were,  to  take  possession  of  the  heart,  whose  sentinel  has 
thus  deserted  his  post.  And  with  what  impertinent  excuses  do  we 
entertain  conscience  all  the  time!  'I  am  just  now  so  occupied, 
that  I  am  scarcely  in  frame  for  prayer.  Were  I  to  attempt  il,  I 
should  find  it  impossible  to  disengage  my  thoughts  from  the  busy, 
perplexing  rellections,  which  have  taken  fast  hold  of  them.  When 
I  have  followed  out  these  investigations  to  some  satisfactory  conclu- 
sion ;— when  I  have  considered  this  or  that  paint  a  little  more  fully  ; 
when  I  have  conquered  this  diiliculty,  or  corrected  that  mistake; — 
then  my  mind  will  be  in  a  placid,  uninterrupted  frame.  Tlien 
shall  be  my  hour  of  prayer.  I  shall  then  betake  myself  to  my 
spiritual  duties  with  tranquillity  and  delight ;  whereas,  now  they 
would  be  a  weariness,  a  formality.'  Thus  the  hour  of  prayer  is  put 
oflT,  to  "a  more  convenient  season."  Our  contemplations  detain  us 
longer  than  we  had  anticipated.  The  evening  shades  thicken 
round  us  ;  still  we  are  deeply  engaged  in  our  inquiry  ;  still  unsat- 
isfied with  the  result.  Midnight  surprises  us  at  our  labors  ;  and  at 
last  the  lateness  of  the  hour  warns  us  to  repose,  before  we  have 
found  time  to  pray.  A  sense  of  languor  and  drowsiness — the  nat- 
ural result  of  our  intense  mental  exertions — either  quite  prevents 
our  devotions,  or  compels  us  to  insult  God  with  a  prayer  from  which 
the  heart  is  absent.  We  retire  to  rest  with  the  painful  feeling  that 
we  have  lost  a  day.  For  every  Christian  must  be  sensible,  that  he 
cannot  rob  God  of  his  portion  of  the  day,  without  robbing  himself 
of  the  whole.  Still  the  deceitfulness  of  sin  will  follow  us  with  a 
lyng  consolation.  'It  is  but  one  day;  to-morrow  I  shall  awake, 
refreshed,  and  my  first  thoughts  shall  be  with  God.'  Let  us  not 
silence  conscience  with  this  deceitful  plea.  If  I  am  not  greatly  mis- 
taken, this  one  lost  day  is  the  forerunner  of  many  more.  Our  foot 
has  begun  to  slide,  our  steps  to  decline.  To  a  heart  prone  to  de- 
part from  God,  this  retrograde  motion  is  natural  and  easy,  wiiile  the 
eifort  to  regain  a  forward  progress  is  immensely  difficult.  The  sin 
to  which  we  have  yielded  to-day,  will  revisit  us  to-morrow  with 
more  urgent  solicitations.  Self,  having  obtained  the  indulgence 
of  one  day,  will  plead  hard  for  another.  To  make  no  more  than 
one  deviation  fiom  the  straight  patli,  is  infinitely  more  dilficult  than 
not  to  deviate  from  it  at  all.     "  The  backslider  in  heart  shall  be 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  ^ 

filled  with  his  own  ways."'  Perhaps  the  very  circumstance  of  hav- 
insf  a  religious  motive  for  study,  may  then  be  used  by  us  as  a  cloak 
to  hide  our  defection.  'AH  my  pursuits  are  designed  to  fit  me  for 
engaging  in  God's  service.  1  cannot  therefore  go  very  much  out  of 
the  way  of  duty,  by  devoting  to  them  a  little  more  time  than  pru- 
dence might  otlierwise  have  dictated.  My  present  diligence  will 
one  day  be  turned  to  account  in  the  cause  of  religion  ;  it  cannot, 
therefore,  be  wholly  misplaced.'  Thus,  in  the  plenitude  of  self-in- 
dulgence, we  can  talk  to  ourselves  about  our  zeal  for  the  Lord  of 
Hosts.  Our  conduct  resembles  that  of  the  priests,  who  "offered 
polluted  bread  upon  the  altar,  and  then  said,  'Wherein  have  we 
polluted  thee  l"'*^  If  we  would  offer  any  acceptable  service  to  God, 
it  must  not  be  thus  defiled  with  self.  "Hath  the  Lord  as  great  de- 
hght  in"  our  worthiest  pursuits,  "as  in  obeying  the  voice  of  the 
Lord?"  We  are  told  that  "  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to 
hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams."^  Our  poor  worthless  attempts  in 
the  cause  of  our  Redeemer  can  be  of  no  value,  but  as  they  are  ac- 
cepted by  God  through  his  intercession.  How  foolish  then  to  im- 
agine that  we  can  succeed,  while  we  neglect  thus  offering  them  to 
God  in  frequent  and  faithful  prayers  !  If  we  will  work  in  our  own 
strength,  we  must  expect  to  be  left  to  such  success  as  our  own 
strength  is  able  to  insure. 

'Do  you,  upon  serious  reflection,  perceive,  that  you  are  now 
yielding  in  any  way  to  this  self-indulgeni  temper?  Let  me  ear- 
nestly recommend  a  temporary  cessation,  if  possible,  from  the  em- 
ployments that  have  ensnared  you.  A  month,  a  week,  in  some 
cases  even  a  day,  rescued  from  your  too  fondly  cherished  occupa- 
tions, and  devoted  to  earnest  prayer  for  future  preservation  and  di- 
rection, niay  enable  you  to  resume  them  without  danger.  But,  as 
you  value  your  peace  and  spirituality  of  mind,  beware  of  returning 
to  them,  till  you  experience  so  much  sweetness  in  heavenly  things, 
as  to  make  the  very  best  of  earthly  things  appear  trifling  and  in- 
sipid in  the  comparison.  The  memory  of  Henry  Martyn  is  sacred 
to  every  Christian  student.  The  rule  by  which  he  regidated  his 
literary  pursuits,  deserves  to  be  called  the  golden  rule  of  study. 
Let  us  carry  it  into  all  the  parts  of  human  learning.  It  will  strip 
them  of  every  excessive  and  ensnaring  attraction.  '  So  deep' — says 
his  biographer — 'was  his  veneration  for  the  word  of  God,  that  when 
a  suspicion  arose  in  his  mind,  that  any  other  book  he  might  be 
studying  was  about  to  gain  an  undue  influence  over  his  mind,  he 
mstantly  laid  it  aside  ;  nor  ivould  he  resume  it,  till  he  had  felt 
and  realized  the  paramount  excellence  of  the  Divine  oracles.' 

She  adverts  to  what  she  had  said  above,^  as  suggesting  a  safe- 
guard against  some  temptations  of  self-sufiiciency  and  self-depend- 
ence. 

'The  only  effectual  remedy  I  have  met  with,  is,  to  consider  hu- 
man reason  and  spiritual  teaching  in  one  respect  exactly  in  the 

1  Prov.  xiv.  14.  2  Malach  ii.  7.  3  1  Sam.  xv.  22.  *  Pages  27,  28, 


34  MEMOIR    OF   MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

same  point  of  view  :  I  mean,  as  both  freely  bestowed  by  Gocl,  to  be 
increased,  continued,  or  suspended  at  his  pleasure.  I  would  con- 
sider every  little  improvement  in  my  studies ;  the  smallest  exten- 
sion of  my  intellectual  powers ;  the  least  ray  of  light  that  shines  in 
upon  my  natural  reason,  when  engaged  in  the  commonest  earthly 
speculations;, — all  these  I  would  consider  as  coming  just  as  directly 
and  absolutely  from  the  Spirit  of  my  God,  as  I  do  those  sacred  in- 
fluences which  inform  and  comfort  my  spiritual  existence.  Ceasing 
to  look  upon  reason  as  our  own,  we  should  cease  to  lean  upon  it 
with  a  misplaced  confidence.  What  we  expect  from  it  would  be 
expected  from  the  God  to  whom  it  belongs,  not  from  ourselves,  who 
have  no  right  in  it.  The  only  way  to  preclude  all  glorying  and 
trusting  in  our  own  things,  is,  to  have  nothing  of  our  own.  Then, 
when  all  is  God's,  we  can  neither  confide  too  much,  nor  expect 
too  largely.  Thus  David  acted.  He  said — "  I  will  not  trust  in  my 
bow,  neither  shall  my  sword  save  me."  Did  he  therefore  resign  the 
use  of  the  sword  and  of  the  bow  ?  No :  but  he  ascribed  the  strength 
which  moved  his  arm  in  wielding  them  to  God, — "  It  is  God  that 
girdeth  me  with  strength" — "  He-teacheth  my  hands  to  war,  and 
jny  fingers  to  fight."'  There  is  nothing  so  reasonable  or  so  delight- 
ful as  this  juireserved  ascription  of  all  our  intellectual  powers  to 
"  God  our  Maker,  who  teacheth  us  more  than  the  beasts  of  the 
earth,  and  maketh  us  wiser  than  the  fowls  of  heaven."'^  He  who 
thus  realizes  the  property  of  God  in  his  reasoning  faculties,  may 
without  arrogance  indulge  in  anticipation  of  their  usefulness,  which 
to  a  weaker  faith,  would  seem  the  height  of  presumption.  It  is  not 
that  he  esteems  the  instrument  too  highly  ;  but  that,  viewing  it 
as  God's  iiistrument,  he  can  set  no  bounds  to  its  efficiency.  He 
does  not  imagine  that  his  own  arm  can  bring  victory.  But  through 
God  he  knows  he  shall  do  valiantly.  He  enters  deeply  into  the 
prophet's  feelings — ^"  I  cannot  speak,  for  I  am  a  child."  But  the 
answer  of  the  Lord  is  graven  upon  his  memory — "  Whatsoever  I 
command  thee,  thou  shalt  speak. "^  He  is  ready  to  exclaim  with 
Moses — "  Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go  upon  the  Lord's  errand  ?  I 
am  slow  of  speech,  and  of  a  slow  tongue."  But  his  diffidence  van- 
ishes before  the  firm  assurance  that  God  "will  be  with  his  mouth, 
and  teach  him  what  to  say."^  To  cultivate  our  reasoning  powers 
with  this  absolute  hopelessness  of  their  single  efficacy,  and  these 
large  expectations  from  them  as  instruments  in  the  hand  of  God, 
is  to  bring  a  certain  blessing  upon  all  that  we  do  with  them.  Hope 
nothing  for  yourself.  Think  nothing  too  great  to  hope  from  the 
bounty  of  your  God.  A  firm  adherence  to  this  simple  rule  would 
enable  you  to  bring  your  reason  to  the  highest  degree  of  perfec- 
tion ;  for  God  will  honor  those  who  thus  honor  him.  "  Cease  then 
from  your  own  wisdom."  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart, 
and  lean  not  to  your  own  understanding."^     Sure  I  am  that  if  your 

•  Psalms  xliv.  6;  xviii.  32;  cxliv.  1.  2  Job  xxxv.  11.  3  Jeremiah  1.  6,  7. 

♦  Exodus  iii.  11  j  iv.  10 — 12.  5  Proverbs  xxiii.  4;  iii.  5. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM,  ^ 

trust  be  thus  in  the  Lord,  he  will  teach  you  "  excellent  things  in 
counsels  and  knowledge."  You  shall  both  "know  the  certainty  of 
the  words  of  truth,"  and  be  able  to  "  answer  the  words  of  truth  to 
them  that  send  unto  you.'" — Again,  'It  is  the  perfection  of  intel- 
lectual enjoyment  to  receive  reason  entirely  as  the  gift  of  our  God, 
and  every  improvement  of  it,  a§  a  fresh  token  of  his  love.  Every 
thing  is  good,  must  be  good,  if  we  view  it  in  this  light.  How  shall 
it  not  be  good,  if  it  comes  directly  from  our.  Father's  hand  ?  How 
shall  it  not  be  very  good,  if  sanctioned  by  our  Father's  blessing? 
You  know  that-  "a  gift  is  as  a  precious  stone  in  the  eyes  of  him 
that  hath  it;  whithersoever  it  turneth,  it  prospereth."^  And  then 
— "  the  blessing  of  the  Lord,  it  makeih  rich  ;  and  he  addeth  no  sor- 
row with  it."^  The  poorest  trifle  becomes  valuable,  if  it  be  the  gift 
of  love.  But  reason  is  itself  a  precious  stone,  a  costly  gem.  When 
received  as  a  gift  it  becomes  a  charmed  stone,  a  talisman  to  shield 
from  harm,  and  to  insure  prosperity.  Only  acknowledge  all  your 
earthly  acquirements  in  this  light,  and  you  shall  find,  that,  which- 
ever way  you  turn  them,  success  shall  attend  your  endeavor.  Re- 
gard everyone  of  your  mental  faculties  as  given  to  you  by  creating 
love.  Rejoice  in  the  gift,  because  redeeming  love  has  restored  it  to 
you  with  a  sevenfold  blessing.  Here  is  a  shield  of  love,  if  the 
shield  of  faith  appear  insufficient  for  your  defence.  For  will  not 
you  earnestly  guard  against  the  abuse  of  a  thing  so  given  and  so 
blessed  V 

Her  encouragement  and  advice  in  the  resistance  of  self-indulgent 
temptations  is  truly  excellent. 

'It  is  encouraging  to  reflect,  that,  if  "you  are  Christ's,  all  things 
are  yours."*  Whatever  talents  he  has  given  you  are  yours,  freely 
to  use  and  improve.  T/iei/  are  also  his  ;  therefore  you  may  con- 
fidently expect,  that  lie  will  get  glory  to  himself  out  of  them.  And 
this,  if  I  mistake  not,  is  your  wisli.  Your  acquirements  are  of  no 
value  in  your  eyes,  except  as  you  can  use  them  for  Christ.  Begin, 
then,  and  end  all  jour  studies  with  him.  Seek  to  find  communion 
with  God  in  every  one  of  them.  "  Do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  to  the  glory  of  God."^  The  curse  which  clings  to  the 
best  of  earthly  things,  and  which  once  shed  its  baneful  influence 
on  all  your  intellectual  faculties,  is  now  taken  away  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Once  perhaps  your  talents  might  have  made  you  a  splendid  mis- 
chief, a  brilliant  pest,  to  society.  Now  if  you  use  them  in  faith, 
they  shall  be  an  instrument  of  healing  and  of  blessing.' 

The  following  closing  remarks  place  the  balance  between  intel- 
lectual and  Chri-tian  wisdom  with  admirable  clearness  and  beauty. 

"  On  the  whole,  in  attempting  to  decide  upon  the  true  merits  of 
human  learning,  my  readers  will  not  acquit  me  of  the  charge  of 
inconsistency,  unless  they  bear  in  mind  the  twofold  principle  upon 

I  Proverbs  xxii.  20,  •fl.  2  ibid.  xvii.  8.  '  Ibid.  x.  22. 

*  1  Corinthians  iii.  22,  23.  s  Colossians  iii.  17.    1  Corinthians  x.  31. 


36  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

which  my  assertions  are  founded,  and  from  which  I  hope  I  shall 
not  appear  to  have  deviated.  On  the  one  hand,  I  conceive  that  to 
enlarge  and  strengthen,  to  cultivate  and  refine,  to  enrich  and  beau- 
tify the  intellect,  is  of  all  the  objects  of  mere  earthly  attainment, 
incomparably  the  most  worthy.  Viewing  study  in  this  light,  I 
cannot  but  speak  in  its  favor  with  some  degree  of  liveliness  and 
passion,  as  one  who  has  tasted,  though  very  slightly,  of  the  bene- 
fits which  flow  from  it.  On  the  other  hand,  when  I  compare  this 
best  of  earthly  things  with  the  lowest  and  meanest  of  heavenly  at- 
tainments, it  sinks  ineffably  in  my  esteem ;  no  longer  possessing 
any  intrinsic  worth,  but  valuable  only  from  its  subserviency  to  these 
higher  objects.  Considering  it,  therefore,  in  this  point  of  view,  I 
am  exceedingly  fearful  of  overrating  its  efficacy.  I  am  led  to  speak 
of  it  with  the  caution  due  to  a  pursuit,  which  is  equally  capable 
of  becoming  a  singular  blessing,  or  an  extraordinary  snare.  Thus, 
when  I  weigh  intellectual  cultivation  in  any  earthly  balance,  I 
cannot  but  adjudge  to  it  a  decided  superiority.  But  when  I  place 
it  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  1  perceive  that  it  has  no  weight 
at  all,  but  what  it  derives  from  the  blessings  of  God  on  accompany- 
ing circumstances.  By  affixing  to  human  learning  any  indepen- 
dent value,  we  take  from  it  that  which  it  really  has ;  for  though 
exceedingly  useful  as  a  submissive  attendant  upon  divine  knowl- 
edge, it  can  do  us  nothing  but  harm,  if  we  permit  its  entrance  as  a 
dominating  usurper. 

'  We  should  be  less  apt  to  set  our  hearts  upon  the  pleasures  of 
intellect,  if  we  reflected  how  much  they  partake  of  the  evanescent 
nature  of  all  earthly  enjoyments.  When  this  little  moment  which 
w^e  call  life  is  fled,  of  what  use  shall  our  studies  be  to  us?  Our 
enlarged  faculties  will  then  discern  in  an  instant  more  than  a  thou- 
sand lives  of  intense  application  would  now  enable  us  to  discover. 
Our  earthly  pursuits  and  attachments  are  among  those  "childish 
things,  which  we  shall  put  away,"  when  we  arrive  at  man's  estate. 
The  very  best  and  wisest  of  them  are  but  the  •'  siaiimi  amores  pue- 
rorum,  qui  una  cum  prmtextd  poneiitiir.''^  While,  however,  we 
are  in  this  fleeting  state  of  existence,  we  nmst  not  despise  tliose 
temporary  delights  and  assistances,  which  the  goodness  of  God  has 
so  wonderfully  adapted  to  our  imperfection  ;  nor  need  we  fear  to 
avail  ourselves  of  them  with  due  moderation,  and  a  simple  de- 
pendence upon  God's  blessing.  But  never  let  it  be  said  of  the 
Christian,  that  he  is  so  much  absorbed  in  "things  temporal,"  as  to 
neglect,  for  one  moment,  "the  things  which  are  eternal."' 

The  intrinsic  excellence  of  these  remarks  render  an  apology  for 
their  introduction  needless.  The  high  and  general  importance 
of  the  subject,  the  full  development  of  its  true  principles,  the  solid 
and  expanded  views,  and  above  all,  the  Christian  wisdom,  spiritual 
simplicity,  and  miction  which  pervade  the  discussion,  will  commend 
it  to  the  profitable  attention  of  every  intelligent  reader.     The  trea- 

•  '  Choice  tleliirhts  of  children,  which  will  be  laid  aside  with  their  pretexta' — the  gown 
worn  by  the  children  of  the  Roman  nobility,  till  it  was  changed  for  the  toga. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  37 

tise  itself  (the  writer  here  speaks  from  more  competent  judgment 
than  his  own)  migiit  probably  be  considered  bj'  men  of  science,  as 
not  formed  upon  the  more  approved  system  of  mathematical  study; 
and,  though  displaying  much  power  and  clearness  of  mind,  is 
occasionally  inaccurate  in  definition  and  illustration.  The  prac- 
tical and  excursive  remarks  (judging  from  the  preceding  extracts, 
and  some  others  hereafter  to  be  adduced)  will  however  be  gener- 
ally considered  to  possess  no  common  value. 

The  writer  has  been  induced  to  extract  so  largely  from  this  in- 
structive manuscript,  chiefly  with  a  view  to  two  important  classes 
of  persons  in  the  present  day.  In  this  era  of  religious  excitement, 
the  minds  of  a  large  mass  are  at  work,  inquiring,  or  rather  specu- 
lating in  a  feverish  state  of  restlessness  and  perplexity.  Their  feel- 
ings are  interested,  animated,  and  more  or  less  intensely  occupied 
with  the  engrossing  subjects  now  brought  before  tiie  chiaxh.  Yet 
often — among  the  young  especially — -whether  from  defect  of  edu- 
cation or  of  mental  cultivation,  their  judgments  have  little  power 
of  discrimination:  their  principles  are  confined;  and  their  profes- 
sion mainly  characterized  by  spiritual  dissipation,  which  exposes 
them  to  the  besetting  snares  of  a  disputatious  temper,  self-conceit, 
and  self-delusion.  To  such  we  would  strongly  recommend  the 
principles,  obligations,  and  advantages  of  Christian  study,  which 
Miss  Graham  has  so  admirably  laid  out  before  them.  The  solid 
influence  of  these  intellectual  habits  upon  her  own  character,  fur- 
nishes the  most  satisfactory  illustration  of  their  importance.  So 
far  from  diverting  her  atteniion  from  the  supreme  concerns  of  eter- 
nity, they  enabled  her,  through  Divine  teaching,  the  more  steadily 
to  concentrate  her  interest  in  habitual,  enlivening,  and  practical 
contemplation. 

To  those  among  us,  whose  habits  and  pleasures  are  found  in  the 
field  of  intellect,  we  cannot  but  observe,  how  much  they  may  learn 
from  this  highly-gifted  saint,  of  that  "simplicity  and  godly  sincer- 
ity," that  careful  inspection  of  motives,  that  watchful  subordina- 
tion of  natural  indulgence  to  the  supreme  object  of  the  glory  of 
God,  which  can  alone  exclude  the  blast  of  Divine  jealousy  from 
these  legitimate  sources  of  enjoyment.  All  her  views  of  science 
were  received  through  a  spiritual  medium,  and  elevated  her  soul  to 
the  hallowed  atmosphere  of  communion  with  her  God.  The  spirit 
of  prayer  was  the  constant  guard  upon  her  intellectual  studies. 
Never  did  she  enter  upon  the  daily  course  of  tuition  with  her  young 
cousin  without  earnestly  imploring  the  blessing  of  her  heavenly 
Father.  We  have  already  seen  a  specimen  of  her  spirit  of  supplica- 
tion on  this  interesting  subject,  upon  which  it  will  be  well  for  the 
student  to  meditate,  till  his  heart  becomes  deeply  imbued  with  its 
simple  spirituality  and  enlargement.'  How  delightful  again  is  the 
pattern  set  forth  in  one  of  her  letters  !     Speaking  of  some  perplexi- 

1  See  her  Prayer  before  Study,  pp.  32,  23. 


38  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

ties  relative  to  the  pursuing  of  her  studies,  she  adds — '  I  am  now 
resolved,  God  helping  ine,  to  give  this  week  to  prayer ;  presenting 
each  of  my  studies  to  Jesus,  ttiat  he  may  prosper  and  sanctify  it  by 
his  Spirit,  take  from  it  all  self-love,  and  cause  me  in  all  my  em- 
ployments, even  in  the  least,  to  aim  at  his  glory,  and  to  labor  in 
his  name.  Join  with  me  in  this  prayer."  Not  less  instructive  is 
the  practical  spirit  that  pervaded  her  studies.  Nothing  was  done 
for  self-indulgence.  Her  pursuits  were  only  valuable,  in  propor- 
tion as  they  were  consecrated.  In  everything  "  to  her  to  live  was 
Christ."  Nothing  besides  seemed  worthy  the  name  of  life.  Noth- 
ing seemed  to  command  her  interest  independent  of  this  great 
object.  To  a  correspondent,  who  had  acquired  her  sentiments  rela- 
tive to  the  cultivation  of  her  mind,  she  writes — 'I  think  it  may  be 
done,  witli  a  prayer^  however^  and  a  resolution,  that  all  tltat  we 
do  shall  one  day  be  employed  in  the  service  of  Christ.  I  think 
the  only  thing;  is  never  to  lose  sig-ht  of  this  great  object.  And 
to  this  end  I  /enow  no  other  means  than  that  of  inaking  it  a  sub- 
ject of  -prayer.  I  have  often  been  prevented  from  praying  for 
success  in  study,  because  I  thought  it  was  better  only  to  mention 
spiritual  wants  at  the  throne  of  grace.  Biit  I  now  think,  that 
after  having  asked  a  blessing  npoji  our  common  occupations,  ice 
are  less  likely  to  forget  the  end,  ivhich  alone  can  enable  ns  to 
follow  them  without  dangerP  Apart  from  this  holy  simplicity 
of  principle,  (the  exclusive  character  of  the  Christian  Student,)  the 
subtle  temptation  begins  to  operate  of  preferring  talent  to  sound 
piety;  'learning,'  as  Mr.  Baxter  tersely  remarks — 'is  but  the 
pleasing  of  the  fancy  in  the  knowledge  of  unnecessary  things;'"^ 
intellectual  pleasures  are  purchased  at  the  fearful  expense  of  the 
loss  of  heavenly  conmiunion  with  God.  In  the  cultivation  of  this 
spirit,  we  shall  be  enabled  to  honor  our  God,  and  to  receive  his 
needful  aid  in  literary  as  well  as  in  religious  pursuits.  The  solid 
advantages  of  study  will  thus  be  safely  enjoyed,  the  glory  of  our 
God  and  Saviour  will  be  clearly  manifested,  and  his  presence  real- 
ized to  the  intelligent  and  active  faith  of  his  servants. 

But  in  returning  to  Miss  Giaham,  we  may  add,  that  her  studies 
were  not  confined  to  the  severer  branches  of  knowledge.  She  had 
cultivated  an  acquaintance  with  the  Roman  classics  with  consider- 
able success. 

To  one  of  her  correspondents  she  recommends  the  study  of  the 
Latin  Grammar,  as  the  means  of  a  clear  understanding  of  '  that 
noble  language,'  and  of  'ennobling  the  intellect  by  the  reading  of 
the  poets  and  historians  of  that  language.'  Two  other  advantages 
she  notices — that  of  a  more  distinct  and  enlarged  acquaintance 
with  our  own  'language;  in  great  part  deduced  from  the  Latin,' 

1  See  her  Prayer  before  Study,  just  alluded  to.  Baxter's  Address  to  the  Blessed  Spirit 
(quoted  in  another  pnrt  of  this  volume)  gives  a  fine  illustration  of  the  same  self  abased, 
dependent  frame — '  W'dhonl  thee,  buohs  are  senseles's  scrmels,  studies  arc  dreams,  learning 
is  a  glow-worm,  and  tcit  is  but  trantonncss,  impertinevce,  andjblly.' 

8  Keasons  for  the  Christian  Reli'jion.     Part  II.  c.  xii. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  39 

and  that  of  forming'  a  good  style,  adding — '  that  the  Enghsh  style 
of  a  person  well  instructed  in  Latin  acquires  great  richness  and  fer- 
tility from  the  number  of  classical  and  energetic  words  of  which  it 
is  composed.'  While  however  in  her  manuscript  she  points  out  the 
substantial  advantages  of  this  instructive  field  of  intellect,  she  does 
not  fail  to  advert  to  the  restriction  which  sound  Christian  judg- 
ment is  constrained  to  impose  upon  an  indiscriminate  indulgence. 
*If,'  she  observes,  'we  cultivate  classic  literature  with  a  view  only 
to  increase  our  fund  of  critical  knowledge,  we  shall  miss  many  of 
the  benefits  which  we  might  liave  derived  from  pursuing  it  with  a 
more  valuable  and  extensive  design.  The  true  ends  of  that  fasci- 
nating study  are  to  impart  chasteness  and  elegance  to  the  style,  to 
enrich  the  mind  with  manly  sentiments,  beautiful  images,  and  poet- 
ical associations.'  She  elsewhere  recommends  the  cultivation  of 
this  field  of  literature  as  'a  corrective  to'  what  she  calls  '  the  cold  _ 
and  jejune  expression,  which  marks  the  style  of  the  mere  mathe- 
matician. I  acknowledge,'  she  adds,  '  the  Christian  objections  that 
are  urged,  not  without  weight,  against  the  study  of  the  ancient 
authors. '  I  am  only  advocating  them  under  proper  restrictions,  and 
w^ith  due  moderation.  Thus  guarded  from  abuse,  let  them  walk 
hand  in  hand  with  the  more  abstruse  sciences.  They  will  mutu- 
ally aid  and  correct  each  other.  A  high  degree  of  classic  elegance 
is  consistent  with  strong  powers  of  sound  argumentation.  The 
combination  forms  a  style  of  reasoning  as  pleasing  as  it  is  convinc- 
ing. The  simplicity  of  a  mathematical  style  is  thus  kept  from  de- 
generating into  poverty,  and  its  cautious  correctness  is  not  permitted 
to  stififen  into  a  frozen  sterility.' 

In  the  field  of  modern  literature  and  taste,  she  was  perfectly  fa- 
miliar with  the  French,  ItaUan,  and  Spanish  languages.  For  the 
first  two  she  had  proper  masters.  The  last  she  learnt  from  a  Cas- 
tilian,  who  was  introduced  to  her  father's  house,  in  exchange  for 
teaching  him  her  own  language.  In  order  to  improve  herself  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  languages,  she  made  considerable  use  of  them 
in  mutual  correspondence  with  her  young  friends.  For  the  same 
purpose  she  translated  Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield  (a  work  not 
congenial  to  her  taste,  but  selected  as  a  good  specimen  of  Eng- 
lish style)  into  French,  Latin,  and  Spanish,  and  commenced  an 
Italian  Version.  She  made  a  similar  use  of  Gil  Bias,  to  perfect 
herself  in  the  Spanish  language  for  an  important  object,  which 
will  shortly  be  noticed  at  length.  She  appears,  however,  to  have 
ultimately  relinquished  this  work,  for  a  reason  equally  character- 
istic of  her  good  sense  and  Christian  simplicity.  '  Should  I  be- 
come'— she  writes  to  her  correspondent — '  perfect  mistress  of  the 

'  These  objections,  so  far  as  they  are  valid,  refer  mainly  to  the  mode  of  study  or  in- 
struction, without  any  reference  to  the  Divine  standard  of  the  book  of  God  ;  thus  leaving 
the  mind  open  to  the  influence  of  all  that  is  corrupt  both  in  principle  and  practice.  Un- 
der a  wise  Christian  discipline,  however,  much  enlargement  of  mind  and  varied  interest 
will  be  gained  from  this  source ;  added  to  what  is  of  primary  moment, — the  sound  learn- 
ing so  necessary  to  a  just  interpretation  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 


40  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

pleasing  and  pregnant  style  of  Gil  Bias  (of  which  I  intend  to  write 
at  least  two  volumes),  it  would  be  almost  too  light  for  the  serious 
subject  on  which  I  wish  to  wrile.'  In  the  same  spirit  the  project  even 
of  these  two  volumes  seem  to  have  been  quickly  laid  aside.  The 
next  week  she  writes  to  the  same  correspondent — '  I  told  you  that 
I  had  begun  to  write  Gil  Bias  very  diligently.  Bat  yesterday  I 
thought  of  the  folly  of  thus  employing  myself  about  a  ivork  in 
wliich  I  unshed  Christ  to  do  all.  I  am  therefore  determined  to 
give  the  remainder  of  this  week  and  the  following  to  reading 
the  Bible  xrith  prayer.^ 

The  best  English  writers  were  familiar  to  her.  especially  the 
standard  works  connected  with  the  Philosophy  of  the  Mind.  She 
appears  to  have  made  herself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  Ijocke.  She  speaks  in  one  of  her  letters  of  reading  his  im- 
portant Essay  on  the  Conduct  of  the  Understanding  for  the  twen- 
tieth time  with  renewed  interest,  and  recommends  to  her  correspon- 
dent the  study  of  this  work  with  great  earnestness,  as  the  means 
of  giving  her  an  increased  thirst  for  pursuits  purely  intellectual. 
Stewart  was  read  with  much  improvement  to  herself.  Butler's 
Analogy  also  was  upon  her  first  shelf.  The  follo^^'^ng  letter  to  her 
cousin  gives  a  lively  and  intelligent  view  of  her  interest  in  these 
valuable  writers. 

'  Hastings,  July  26,  1823. 
'I  am  very  glad  that  you  like  Butler.  I  found,  as  you  do,  not 
only  that  he  is  humble  himself,  but  that  he  inspires  his  readers 
with  sentiments  of  humility.  He  shows  them  the  littleness  of  hu- 
man reason,  and  how  weak  it  is,  where  it  will  not  submit  to  the 
light  of  revelation.  T  will  tell  you  what  the  good  Stewart  has  done 
for  me,  I  have  long  feU  that  all  the  efforts  I  have  made  to  obtain 
true  knowledge  have  been  almost  useless.  Stewart  has  shown  me 
the  reason  of  this.  It  is  because  I  have  always  allowed  the  greatest 
confusion  of  my  ideas.  I  have  never  arranged  them.  He  has  shown 
me  that  my  mind  is  like  a  large  sack  filled  with  rulibish  of  all  kinds, 
and  where  perhaps  something  that  is  useful  may  be  found:  but 
all  is  packed  together  in  so  confused  a  manner,  that  whosoever 
sought  for  it  would  be  seeking  a  needle  in  a  bottle  of  hay.  I  am 
almost  in  despair ;  however,  t  am  resolved  to  make  every  effort  to 
arrange  a  little  better  the  confused  mass ;  and  I  am  more  than 
ever  convinced,  that  the  only  sure  way  of  having  the  head  filled 
with  clear  and  well-defined  ideas  is,  to  accustom  oneself  to  put 
one's  thoughts  upon  paper.  I  must  tell  you  a  resolution  which  I 
desire  to  execute  ;  it  is  to  write  down  from  time  to  time  all  the  new 
ideas  and  facts,  whether  original  or  acquired  by  reading  or  con- 
versation, which  I  have  gained.  By  doing  this  we  should  know 
the  progress  which  our  minds  make  ;  and  we  should  not  forget,  as 
we  now  do,  the  ideas  which  pass  through  the  mind  without  making 
any  impression,  but  which  might  be  very  useful  if  gathered  to- 
gether, and  reserved  to  a  proper  occasion.' 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM  41 

Her  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  language  only  extended  to  the 
reading  of  llie  Greek  Testament.  The  further  progress  in  this  de- 
partment of  hterature  was  hindered  by  her  appHcation  to  other 
studies  necessary  for  the  superintendence  of  the  education  of  her 
cousin.  She  was  proposing  to  commence  the  study  of  Hebrew, 
but  increasing  indisposition  prechided  her  from  renewing  her  habits 
of  appHcation  in  any  fresh  track  of  interesting  exercise. 

Miss  Graham  studied  the  theory  of  music  with  much  attention, 
and  wrote  a  short  but  correct  development  of  its  principles'  for  the 
use  of  a  young  cousin,  then  preparing  for  the  situation  of  governess, 
and  whom  she  had  in  part  educated  for  this  important  sphere  with 
anxious  pains  and  interest.  Apart  from  this  object  she  would  not 
probably  have  devoted  so  large  a  portion  of  her  valuable  time  to 
this  study,  as  it  was  a  matter  of  frequent  concern  to  her,  to  observe 
the  preponderance  given  to  this  elegant  and  fascinating  science, 
above  the  more  solid  and  useful  accomplishments. 

In  some  of  her  inoie  lively  exercises  of  mind  she  took  up  the  sub- 
ject of  chemistry  with  great  delight,  making  long  extracts  from  the 
books  which  she  read,  and  going  over  every  part  till  she  thoroughly 
understood  it.  Witiior.t  having  any  more  definite  object  for  this 
study,  she  felt  that  some  absorbing  occupation  of  this  character 
was  necessary  to  beguile  the  long  and  wearisome  hours  of  sick- 
ness. For  the  same  object  botany  also  attracted  her  attention. 
Thus  with  various  and  successive  occupations  her  mind  was  al- 
ways maintained  in  active,  intelligent,  and  profitable  exercise.  A 
striking  feature  of  her  character  (one  which  entered  into  her  recrea- 
tions equally  with  her  studies,  and  which  formed  the  basis  of  her 
high  mental  superiority)  was  a  total  concentration  of  every  power 
of  thought  and  feeling  in  the  object  of  pursuit  immediately  before 
her.*^  Indeed,  as  her  father  observes,  'she  followed  Solomon's  ad- 
vice in  everything  she  undertook — "Whatsoever  thine  hand  findeth 
to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might !"  '^ 

Her  peculiar  singleness  of  aim  preserved  her,  in  the  midst  of  her 
intellectual  enjoyments,  from  the  baneful  influence  of  self-indul- 
gence, and  stimulated  her  to  apply  her  literary  pursuits  to  valuable 
practical  purposes.     Her  great,  object  in  the  study  of  the  Spanish 

I  A  Letter  to  a  young  Pianoforte  player. 

2  One  of  her  letters  jrives  a  graphical  picture  of  this  remarkable  concentration  of  mind. 

'  Plymouth,  May  10,  18-25. 

'When  the  fury  of  learning  takes  possession  of  me,  I  cannot  think  of  anything  else. 
If  I  am  seized  with  a  fit  for  studying  any  particular  thing,  I  cannot  give  my  mind  to  any 
other  studies,  however  much  1  usually  delight  in  them.  I  now  wish  to  study  Spanish 
and  Music.  But  I  am  so  carried  away  with  my  ancient  mania  for  Mathematics,  that, 
although  my  head  aches,  and  I  cannot  think  without  inconvenience  of  anything,  I  am 
perpetually  puzzling  my  brains  to  resolve  questions,  which  will  never  he  of  any  use  to 
me.  It  is' said,  that  everything  is  given  for  some  good.  I  cannot  imagine  why  I  have 
been  endued  with  this  invincible  propensity  to  a  study,  which  is  always  diverting  me 
from  more  useful  and  feminine  occupations,'  This  letter,  it  will  be  remarked,  was  written 
several  years  before  her  Treatise  on  Mathematical  Study,  and  before  the  important  intel- 
lectual and  moral  benefit  of  that  study,  which  her  Treatise  so  fully  develops,  had  opened 
to  her  mind. 

3  Eccles.  ix.  19. 


42  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

language,  was  to  obtain  a  medium  of  communication  with  the 
Spanish  refugees.  Tiie  discovery  of  a  strong  tincture  of  infideHty 
among  tliem,  combined  with  the  recollection  of  her  own  fall,  to  ex- 
cite a  compassionate,  earnest,  and  sympatliizing  concern  on  their 
behalf  The  second  part  of  '  The  'i^'est  of  Truth'  opens  with  an 
exquisitely  toucliing  view  of  her  feelings  on  this  painful  subject. 
Indeed  the  work  contains  the  substance  of  her  communications  with 
some  of  those  interesting  but  unhappy  men.  It  was  sent  to  them 
with  much  and  earnest  prayer  upon  the  eve  of  their  departure  from 
England.  She  had  intended  to  have  translated  some  of  the  most 
striking  extracts  from  Paley  and  other  writers  upon  the  Evidences 
of  Christianity ;  and  in  one  of  her  letters  she  mentions  having  no 
less  than  eleven  English  volumes  before  her  mind  for  this  purpose. 
Finding,  hov/ever,  that  Paley  had  been  translated,  she  purchased 
the  work,  and  sent  it  to  her  Spanish  friends  with  her  own. 

The  following  notices  will  give  an  interesting  view  of  the  exercises 
of  her  mind  and  faith,  which  were  strongly  called  out  towards  these 
objects  of  her  compassion,  after  she  was  removed  from  immediate 
intercourse  with  them. 

'  f^ept.  8,  1825. 

'As  to  my  Spanish,  we  have  been  so  busy  about  the  schools,  that 
I  have  not  loeen  able  to  do  much.  But  I  find  a  delightful  confi- 
dence, that  this  hook  having  been  the  suggestion  of  Christ,  and 
belonging  to  him  and  not  to  me,  ivill  be  blessed  by  him.  I  have 
read  one  part  of  '  Las  Ruinas,''  and  in  reading  it  I  was  struck  with 
the  rejection,  tliat  the  best  answer  would  be  a  continual  reference 
to  the  word  of  God.  I  thought  therefore  of  placing  my  observations 
on  the  blank  pages,  and  of  filling  the  margin  of  the  printed  paper 
with  references.  I  beseech  you  to  pray,  that  if  I  be  not  a  fit 
instrument  for  the  conversion  of  the  souls  of  these  poor  Spanish 
exiles,  the  Holy  Spirit  would  be  pleased  to  raise  up  some  other.' 

Miss  Graham  obtained  a  copy  of  the  book,  interleaved  with  blank 
paper  for  the  insertion  of  her  remarks.  It  appears,  however,  from 
this  copy,  now  in  the  writer's  possession,  that  she  made  very  little 
progress  in  this  task,  probably  thinking  that  the  simple  argument 
of  "  The  Test  of  Truth"  was  better  adapted  for  her  purpose. 

'  A]wil  9,  1827. 
'Last  week  my  blessed  Master  gave  me  the  power  of  writing  in 
bis  name  to  the  poor  Spaniards.  I  have  written  three  sheets  in 
English.  But  as  I  have  not  studied  Spanish  for  a  long  time,  I  find 
myself  in  some  diiiiculty,  and  must  give  this  week  to  the  language. 
Next  week  I  hope  to  translate  what  I  have  written,  and  to  send  it 
to  you;  if  you  will  obhge  me  by  seeing  it  put  into  their  hands. 
My  faith  in  seeing  them  converted  to  God  increases  every  day.  At 
present,  "  the  strong  man  armed  keepeth  his  palace,  and  his  goods 

'  Volncy's  Ruins  of  Empires,  translated  into  the  Spanish — an  infidel  work  of  much 
authority  with  her  Spanish  frienda. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  43 

are  at  peace."  But  I  have  confidence  given  me  from  heaven,  that 
1  shall  see  the  "stronger  than  he,"  who  will  conquer  him,  and 
''take  from  him  all  his  armor  wherein  he  trusted.'"  I  may  not 
perhaps  see  this  while  I  am  here  ;  but  I  shall  not  rejoice  the  less, 
because  1  see  it  in  heaven.' 

About  a  month  afterwards,  we  find  her  mind  deeply  exercised 
upon  this  work  and  labor  of  love. 

'  May  5, 1827. 

'"  I  wrote  the  Spanish  book  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  in  the 
belief  that  he  would  give  me  a  spirit  and  a  wisdom,  which  by 
nature  I  do  not  possess.  I  had  a  strong  faith  in  the  promises  of 
God,  to  manifest  himself  in  his  own  time  to  his  own  elect.  But  in 
the  way  of  preparing  to  send  it,  my  faith  vanishes,  and  I  have  now 
only  "an  evil  heart  of  unbelief"'^  To  say  to  all  the  bones  in  the 
churchyard  at  Stoke — "  O  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord."2  would  almost  seem  to  me  easier  than  to  say  the  same  thing 
to  souls  dead  in  infidelity.  However,  I  feel  that  1  have  courage 
even  for  this,  since  "Jesus  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life,"  because 
all  the  glory  will  be  to  him  alone  ;  and  because  he  has  assured  me, 
that,  having  confided  myself  to  him,  my  expectations  can  never  be 
disappointed.' 

The  next  letter  \vag  sent  some  months  afterwards,  with  '  The 
Test  of  Truth,'  and  'Paley's  Evidences.' 

'  Dec.  20,  1827. 

'  I  send  you  Paley,  which  pleases  me  very  much,  with  the  letter, 
in  wiiich,  without  entering  upon  any  argument  about  the  Eviden- 
ces, (fcc,  I  have  leant  upon  the  simple  proposition,  that  God  having 
promised  in  the  Scriptures  to  give  his  Spirit  to  whoever  asks  it  with 
sincerity,  must  either  keep  his  promise,  or  not  be  God  ;  and  1  have 
endeavored  to  show  them,  that  according  to  their  OAvn  principles 
they  are  without  excuse,  if  they  neglect  to  seek  their  Creator  in  this 
manner.  But  if  even  now  it  do  not  succeed,  it  has  been  a  blessing 
to  me  ;  it  has  been  the  cause  of  many  prayers,  of  many  sweet 
moments  of  communion  with  Jesus.  I  cannot  therefore  but  hope, 
that  in  the  time  and  manner  which  may  please  him,  my  prayers 
will  be  answered.  I  recommend  these  unhappy  people  to  you. 
Pray  for  them  often  and  fervently  ;  possibly  amongst  them  may  be 
found  some  of  those  who  were  "chosen  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world."' 

In  another  letter  formerly  quoted,  after  having  begged  her  friend 
to  join  with  her  in  prayer  for  a  blessing  upon  her  studies,  she  added 

1  Luke  xi.  21,  22. 

2  This  book  was  '  The  Test  of  Truth.'  Her  care  and  anxiety  for  them  extended  to  their 
temporal,  as  well  as  their  spiritual  distresses.  As  a  token  of  affectionate  sympathy,  as 
well  as  some  acknowledgment  for  valuable  instruction  received,  she  gladly  appropriated 
the  proceeds  of  her  musical  Tract  to  the  fund  raised  for  their  relief. 

3  Ezek.  xxxvii.  4. 


44  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

in  conclusion, — 'And  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  have  something"  to 
say  to  those  poor  Spaniards,  and  that  my  love  for  them  may  not 
grow  cold.' 

The  full  result  of  her  prayers  and  "  trials  of  faith"  on  behalf  of 
her  Spanish  friends,  is  among"  the  secrets  which  "  the  day  will 
declare."  Meanwhile  what  Christian  can  fail  to  be  invigorated  by 
this  exhibition  of  prayer,  faith,  self-denial,  and  patient  hope  in  the 
work  of  our  Divine  Master? 

Allusion  has  been  already  made*  to  a  disinterested  project  which 
she  had  formed  of  devoting  herself  to  the  work  of  tuition.  To  her 
cousin  she  writes,  as  if  lier  heart  was  full  of  it — '  I  think  of  it  day 
and  night.  The  opportunity  of  my  illness  appears  to  me  excellent 
for  preparing  myself  for  my  plan,  if  the  ability  for  putting  it  into 
execution  should  be  granted  meJ  Her  gracious  Lord  however 
was  pleased  to  accept  her  in  the  desire,^  not  in  the  performance  of 
her  work.  Protracted  indisposition  hindered  her  from  giving-  any 
definite  shape  or  execution  to  the  plan,  which  only  remains  on  record, 
as  one  among  the  many  instances  of  the  ceaseless  activity  with 
which  her  energies  were  employed  in  the  service  of  her  Redeemer, 
and  of  his  Church. 

It  is  natural  to  expect  to  see  her  a  "  fellow-worker  with  God,"  in 
the  daily  course  of  active  devotedness.  She  w^as  a  constant  visitor 
of  the  poor  in  the  most  miserable  abodes,  under  circumstances  trying 
to  her  delicate  frame  and  tender  spirit.  For  some  time  she  took  a 
daily  and  somewhat  distant  walk  through  an  uninviting  part  of  the 
city,  to  spend  an  hour  with  a  dying  young  woman,  whose  case  had 
deeply  interested  her,  and  to  whom  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  she  was  found  the  blessed  messenger  of  life  and  salvation. 
Her  sympathy  was  much  called  out  by  the  temporal  wants  of  the 
poor.  Much  of  her  leisure  time  was  employed  in  working  for  their 
benefit.  A  large  chest  of  useful  articles  of  clothing  was  constantly 
kept  in  her  own  room,  while  the  opportunities  of  distribution  were 
always  improved  as  means  of  spiritual  instruction  to  the  objects  of 
her  consideration.  Her  sabbaths  were  entirely  devoted  to  the  service 
of  God.  She  became  a  teacher  in  the  Christ  Church  Sunday 
School,  and  though  she  was  often  exhausted  at  the  close  of  the  day 
by  the  continued  excitement  of  her  exertion,  yet  she  ever  counted 
her  toil  in  the  work  of  Christ  to  be  her  highest  privilege  and  delight. 

Upon  her  removal  from  London,  the  interest  of  her  intellectual 
mind  continued  to  be  called  forth  in  the  employment  of  a  village 
sphere.  A  deep  and  habitual  constraint  of  redeeming  love  regu- 
lated every  mental  effort.  Though  she  diligently  improved  her  re- 
tirement in  adding  to  her  already  well-furnished  storehouse  ;  yet 
she  chiefly  regarded  it  as  the  means  of  secretly  recruiting  her 
strength  for  the  service  of  God.  Hers  was  not  the  mind  to  repose 
luxuriously  in  'the  Castle  of  Indolence.'  Hers  was  not  the  soul 
that  could  rest  even  in  spiritual  self-indulgence,  insensible  to  the 

1  See  page  23,  note.  2  2  Chronicles  vi.  8. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  45 

urgent  calls  of  activ^e  duty.  Even  her  delicate  health  was  not  suf- 
fered to  preclude  her  from  the  self-denying  exercise  of  Christian  de- 
votedness.  During  the  first  summer  of  her  country  residence,  she 
regularly  attended  at  the  parish  workhouse  at  seven  o'clock,  to  ex- 
plain tlie  Scriptures  to  the  poor  previous  to  the  commencement  of 
their  daily  labor.  This,  however,  like  every  other  "labor  of  love," 
was  an  exercise  of  her  faith,  and  contiict  with  the  great  enemy. 
She  memions  to  her  cousin  tlie  repugnance  which  at  one  time  she 
found  to  this  work,  and  her  yielding  to  the  temptation  of  deferring 
it  from  day  to  day.  Yet  it  was  not  long  before  sire  found  the  vic- 
tory of  faith  over  inertion  ;  and  gladly  did  she  give  the  praise  to 
Him,  who  enabled  her  to  make  a  successful  eflbrt ;  '  I  told  them  of 
my  intention' — she  writes — ■'■  to  go  every  morning  to  pray  with  them 
and  read  the  word  of  God.  Mi/  Saviour  removed  every  dilJiciiUy 
out  of  the  way^  and  caused  the  women  to  receive  me  with  the 
greatest  civility.'' 

The  children  of  the  parish  were  the  objects  of  constant  solicitude. 
She  wrote  a  few  simple  addresses  for  tlieir  use.  She  drew  out  also 
questions  upon  the  parables  and  miracles,  for  the  assistance  of  the 
Sunday  School  Teachers;'  and,  when  prevented  by  indisposition 
from  attending  the  school,  she  assembled  the  children  at  her  own 
house  for  scriptural  instruction.  The  young  women  also  in  the 
parish  occupied  a  large  sliare  of  her  anxious  interest;  and,  finding 
them  unwilling  to  assemble  at  the  same  time  and  place  with  the 
children,  she  appropriated  a  separate  evening  for  their  instruction. 
She  was,  as  might  be  supposed,  a  constant  cottage  visitor.  The 
following  beautiful  extract  from  her  mathematical  manuscript  will 
show  the  high  and  consecrated  spirit  with  wliich  she  connected  this 
humble  ministration  with  her  intellectual  pleasures.  Warning  her 
Christian  student  of  the  dangerous  snare  of  self-complacency,^  she 
inquires  of  him — 'Do  you  ever  experience  this  proud  internal  con- 
sciousness of  superior  genius  or  learning?  God  has  placed  a  ready 
antidote  within  your  reach.  The  abode  of  learned  leisure  is  seldom 
far  from  the  humble  dv/elling  of  some  unlettered  Christian.    Thither 

^  Some  of  these  Addresses  and  Questions  have  since  been  published  by  the  Rev  H. 
A.  Sinicoe.     (Seeleys  ) 

2  Her  remarks  upon  self-complacency  are  so  just  and  searching,  that  the  Writer  is 
tempted  to  add  them  in  a  note : 

'  iS'e//"-coj»ip/act:7!(-y  is  another  of  those  temptations,  to  which  the  student  is  peculiarly 
exposed.  He  may  so  far  distrust  his  own  heart,  as  to  abstain  from  "  doing  anything 
through  strife  or  vain-glory."  He  may  keep  out  of  the  way  of  human  praise.  And  y^t 
there  may  be  an  inward  complacency,  a  proud  consciousness  of  superiority,  equally  de- 
structive to  his  growth  in  grace.  He  "  thinks  of  himself  more  highly  than  he  ought  to 
think."  He  courts  not  the  breath  of  applause:  but  he  drinks  in  the  intoxicating  vapor 
of  self  gratulation  and  esteem.  There  are  some  men,  in  whom  pride  stifles  the  impulses 
of  vanity.  If  they  seem  to  care  little  what  others  think  of  them,  it  is  because  they  think 
so  well  of  themselves.  Their  own  opinion  needs  no  confirmation.  Their  solitary  plaudit 
is  so  abundantly  satisfactory,  that  the  buzz  of  admiring  multitudes  would  be  a  superfluous 
addition.  Can  anything  like  this  be  found  in  the  disciple  of  Jesus'?  Yes — for  the  law  of 
sin  still  dwells  in  his  members.  Neither  this  sin,  nor  any  other  shall  be  permitted  to 
have  dominion.  (Romans  vi.  14.)  But  its  assaults  will  sometimes  vex  and  discompose 
him.  He  will  be  tempted,  according  to  the  natural  bent  of  his  character,  to  seek  the  ap- 
plause of  others,  or  to  rest  in  his  own.' 


46  MEMOIR    OF    MARV    JANE    GRAHAM. 

lei  your  steps  be  directed.  "  Take  sweet  counsel"  with  your  poor 
uneducated  brother.  There  you  will  find  the  man,  whom  our 
"King  deiighteth  to  honor."  His  mean  cliamber,  graced  with  one 
well-worn  book,  is  as  "  the  house  of  God,  and  the  very  gale  of 
heaven."  Observe  how  far  the  simpHcity  of  his  faith,  and  the  fer- 
vor of  his  love,  exceed  anything  you  can  find  in  your  own  expe- 
rience, cankered  as  it  is  with  intellectual  pride.  God  has  taught 
him  many  lessons,  of  which  all  your  learning  has  left  you  ignorant. 
Make  him  your  instructor  in  spiritual  things.  He  is  a  stranger  to 
the  names  of  your  favorite  poets  and  orators.  But  he  is  very  famil- 
iar with  "  the  sweet  Psahnistof  Israel."  He  can  give  you  rich  por- 
tions of  the  eloquence  of  one.  who  "spake  as  never  man  spake." 
He  can  neither  "tell  you  the  number  of  the  stars, 'nor  call  them  all 
by  their  naines."  But  he  will  discourse  excellently  concerning  "  the 
star  of  Bethlehem."  He  is  unable  to  attempt  the  solution  of  a  diffi- 
cult problem.  But  he  can  enter  into  some  of  those  deep  things  of 
God's  law,  which  to  an  unhumbled  heart  are  dark  and  mysterious. 
He  will  not  talk  to  you  "in  the  words  which  man's  wisdom  teach- 
eth  ;"  but  oh  !  what  sweet  and  simple  expressions  of  Divine  love  are 
those  which  "  the  Holy  Ghost  has  taught  him  !"  He  "  knows  noth^ 
ing  but  Christ  crucified  ;"  but  this  is  the  excellent  knowledge,  to 
which  all  other  knowledge  is  foolishness.  He  has  "the  fear  of  the 
Lord  ;  that  is  wisdom.  He  departs  from  evil ;  that  is  understand- 
ing."i  When  your  soul  is  refreshed  by  this  simple  and  lowly  com- 
munion with  one  of  the  meanest  of  God's  saints ;  return  to  your 
learned  retirement.  Look  over  your  intellectual  possessions.  Choose 
out  the  brightest  jewel  in  your  literary  cabinet.  Place  it  by  the  side 
of  "  the  meek  and  quiet  spirit"  of  this  obscure  Christian.  Determine 
which  is  the  "  ornament  of  greater  price."^  Compare  the  boasted 
treasures  of  your  mind  with  the  spiritual  riches  of  your  illiterate 
brother.  Run  over  the  whole  catalogue.  Let  not  one  be  omitted  ; 
the  depth  of  your  understanding,  the  strength  of  your  reasonings, 
the  brilliancy  of  your  fancy,  the  fire  of  your  eloquence.  Be  proud 
of  them.  Glory  in  them.  You  cannot.  They  dwindle  into  in- 
significance. They  appear  to  you  "  as  a  drop  of  a  bucket,  as  the 
small  dust  of  the  balance."  ' 

The  following  letter  gives  a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  truly 
Christian  spirit,  with  which  she  inculcated  upon  her  friends  the  re- 
sponsibility of  persevering  effort  in  the  work  of  God  : 

'  Stoke,  August  4,  1825. 
'1  think  that  visiting  the  poor  is  an  excellent  help  to  spirituality 
of  mind,  because  it  shows  us  our  own  weakness,  when  we  lose  sio-ht 
for  a  moment  of  the  strength  of  Christ.  It  also  brings  to  light  many 
secret  corruptions,  of  which  we  were  before  ignorant.  I  am  very 
anxious  to  hear  about  the  Infant  School.  Do  not  be  discouraged  b}'- 
the  cold  answers  of .     Rather  pray  for  them,  that  more  faith 

'  Job  xxviii.  28.  2  1  Peter  iii.  4. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  47 

may  be  given  to  them,  and  a  spirit  of  love  for  the  souls  that  are 
perishing  around  them.  Such  a  prayer  offered  in  faith  by  one 
Christian  for  another  will  bring  down  a  blessing  upon  both.  I  am 
very  sorry  that  I  was  angry  with  — — ,  instead  of  praying  for  her. 
1  do  not  think  that  Christians  pray  enough  for  each  other.  Per- 
haps the  Lord  is  proving  your  faith  and  love  by  making  you  wait 
in  this  cause.  If  it  be  so,  do  not  doubt  his  power  to  carry  you 
through  all  you  undertake  in  his  name.  From  the  mouth  of  ihe 
children  for  whom  you  are  interested,  he  will  cause  his  praises  to 
be  sounded.  Do  "  not"  then,  "  be  weary  in  well-doing."  If  you 
have  not  already  begun,  let  me  advise  you  not  to  begin,  till  you 
have  given  a  special  time  to  the  Scriptures  and  to  prayer.  I  desire 
all  our  undertakings  to  be  '-sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and 
prayer."  '  Then — referring  to  her  own  intention  of  setting  apart 
the  next  week  for  spiritual  exercises  in  reference  to  her  Spanish 
communications — she  asks — '  I  thought  perhaps  that  you  would 
give  next  week  to  these  things,  and  that  it  would  be  delightful  to 
me  to  remember,  that  we  were  both  thus  employed  at  the  same 
time.  But  if  you  cannot  do  this,  pray  at  the  time  fixed  by  us,  that 
I  may  have  grace  and  faith  to  pass  these  days  in  dedicating  myself 
to  this  work,  and  that  we  may  both  of  us  in  all  that  we  do  be  de- 
livered from  a  self-seeking  spirit,  and  may  take  every  step  with  our 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  cross  of  Jesus.  I  am  afraid  of  annoying  you 
by  this  mode  of  speaking  of  these  things.  But  if  you  knew  how 
full  my  heart  is  of  tenderness,  while  I  write,  you  would  pardon  the 
importunity,  with  which  T  beseech  you  to  give  yourself  entirely  and 
without  reserve  into  the  hands  of  Christ.  He  can  give  you  from 
the  treasures  of  his  grace  all  the  zeal,  love,  and  warmth  which  you 
need.  All  is  ours  already  by  virtue  of  his  blood.  Let  us  make  use 
of  it.  Let  us  go  to  him  in  holy  boldness,  and  ask  for  all  the  grace 
which  he  is  so  ready  to  give.'     Psalm  Ixxxi.  10. 

The  pressure,  however,  of  increasing  illness  constrained  her  to 
relinquish  her  own  habits  of  personal  activity  for  some  time  previous 
to  her  death.  It  was  her  appointed  dispensation  rather  to  suffer, 
than  to  do  her  heavenly  Father's  will ;  while  her  solitary  hours 
were  cheered  by  the  contemplation  of  the  glorious  prospects  opening 
upon  her  view— '^  looking  for  the  mercy  of  her  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
unto  eternal  lifer^ 

•  Jude  xii. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


FURTHER    EXTRACTS    FROM    HER    WRITINGS    AND    COR- 
RESPONDENCE. 

It  is  not  to  be  expected,  that  the  quiet  tenor  of  Miss  Graham's 
habits  in  a  retired  village  could  furnish  mucli  variety  of  incident  or 
detail.  We  shall,  however,  abundantly  compensate  for  this  de- 
ficiency by  a  more  full  exhibition  of  her  fine,  powerful,  and  spiritual 
mind,  as  illustrated  in  her  writings  and  correspondence. 

But  this  department  of  our  work  is  too  large  to  be  comprehended 
in  one  mass.  We  will  therefore  set  it  forth  in  several  distinct  di- 
visions, and  give  her  sentiments  upon  the  fandainenlal  Dortrines 
of  the  Gospel — upon  subjects  of  interesting  Theological  dis- 
cussion— upon  some  points  of  'tnonient  connected  with  Christian 
Experience  and  Profession — and  upon  Miscellaneous  Subjects. 

1.     HER     VIEWS     OF    THE     GREAT     DOCTRINES     OF     THE     GOSPEL. 

Her  appreliensions  and  statements  of  the  grand  fundamentals 
of  the  Christian  faith  were  eminently  scriptural. 

On  the  Ininihling  doctrine  of  Original  Sin,  she  justly  remarks 
in  a  posthumous  work  :^ — 

'  It  is  the  very  first  lesson  in  the  school  of  Christ :  and  it  is  only 
by  being  well  rooted  and  grounded  in  these  first  principles,  that  we 
can  hope  to  go  on  to  perfection.  The  doctrine  is  written  in  Scrip- 
ture as  with  a  sunbeam.  If  we  do  not  feel  some  conviction  of  it  in 
our  own  liearts,  it  affords  a  sad  proof  that  we  still  belong  to  that 
"generation  that  are  pure  in  their  own  eyes,  and  yet  is  not  washed 
from  their  filthiness."  '^ 

After  adducing  some  of  the  most  convincing  scriptural  evidence, 
she  proceeds  forcibly  to  illustrate  the  subject  by  the  case  of  Infants. 

'  "  The  Frecness  and  Soverei<rnty  of  God's  Justifijing  and  Electing  Grace."  Not- 
withstanding the  inversion  of  Scriptural  order  in  the  Title  (which  her  mode  of  discus- 
sion unfortunattdy  required.)  and  one  or  two  incidental  inaccuracies  of  exposition,  its 
statements  of  Divine  trulli  are  full,  clear,  encourajring,  and  practical.  The  substance  of 
the  work  was  written  ahout  four  years  before  her  death,  in  a  letter  to  a  serious  relative, 
with  the  desire  to  impart  to  her  mind  a  more  clear  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the 
system  of  the  Gospel.  She  brought  it  into  its  present  form  during  her  last  illness,  and 
lived  only  to  correct  tlie  first  two  proof  sheets.  Her  object  in  publication  is  stated  in  her 
communication  to  the  venerable  Minister,  to  whom  she  wished  to  have  dedicated  the 
work — '  Now  that  I  have  experienced  the  exceeding  comfort  and  delight,  which  a  clear 
view  of  God's  sovereign,  absolute,  free,  and  unmerited  salvation  affords  in  the  near  pros- 
pect of  eternity,  I  am  very  desirous  to  make  my  poor  testimony  to  these  truths  public,  in 
the  hope  that  God  will  bless  it  to  others.  l-''or  I  know  that  success  "is  not  of  him  that 
planteth,  nor  of  him  that  waterelh,  but  of  God  that  giveth  the  increase.'" 
8  Prov.  x.vx.  1-2.  pp.  8,  9. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  49 

'Would  we  know  the  reason  of  this  indelible  pollution,  which 
fallen  man  has  transmitted  to  his  latest  descendants?  let  that 
given  by  Scripture  suffice — '•  Who  can  bring  a  clean  thing  out  of 
an  unclean?  not  one."'  But  is  not  the  new-born  babe  innocent  ? 
yes,  from  the  commission  of  actual  sin  ;  but  not  from  the  pollution 
of  a  nature  altogetiier  sinl'ul :  for  •' who  can  bring  a  clean  thing 
out  of  an  unclean?"  "Death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all 
have  sinned."^  Why  then  is  death  so  often  commissioned  to  snatch 
away  the  babe  in  the  first  hour  of  its  existence? — why,  but  because 
that  babe  is  a  sinful  creature  ?  Sin,  that  root  of  bitterness,  has 
already  shot  its  fibres  into  the  inmost  soul.  That  infant  "  born  of 
the  ilesh,  is  flesh  ;"'3  and  "  as  such  cannot  please  God"^ — cannot 
bring  forth  any  other  than  the  accursed  fruits  of  the  flesh.  As 
surely  as  the  cockatrice's  egg  will  hatch  into  a  viper,  so  surely  will 
the  babe  born  of  unclean  parents,  be  itself  unclean — so  surely  it  will 
be  "  by  nature  a  child  of  wrath,  even  as  others."^  And  therefore 
it  is  as  the  apostle  tells  us,  that  "  Death  reigneth  over  all,  even  over 
them  that  have  not  sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam^s  trans- 
g-ression.''^'^  I  entertain  not  a  doubt  that  these  little  ones  are  re- 
deemed by  the  blood  of  Jesus  :  but  that  they  need  redemption,  that 
they  are  sinners,  "children  of  wrath  by  nature,'' — of  this  truth  I 
am  ecjually  well  assured  ;  and  every  little  mound  in  the  church- 
yard seems  to  have  a  voice  that  tells  me  so.''' 

Then  after  citing  our  Church's  recognition  of  this  doctrine  in  the 
Ordinance  of  Infant  Baptism,  she  returns  to  her  scriptural  ground 
of  argument. 

'The  Holy  Ghost  has  instructed  the  Apostle  to  give  us  such  a 
full  conniient  upon  tlie  spiritual  death  we  all  die  in  Adam,  that  we 
cannot  too  often  read  and  pray  over  the  following  passages  :  Rom. 
V.  12,  21  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  21,  22,  45,  49  ;  Eph.  iv.  22,  24  .  Col.  iii.  9,  10. 
There  are  many  others,  in  which  our  nature  in  Adam  is  spoken  of, 
in  contradistinction  to  tbe  new  and  holy  nature  we  receive  in  Christ 
Jesus.  So  essential  is  a  right  understanding  of  this  truth,  that 
until  we  receive  it,  many  of  the  most  beautiful  parts  of  the  Church 
service  must  appear  just  as  unintelligible  to  us  as  it  they  were  writ- 
ten in  an  unknown  language.  Nay — worse  than  unintelligible — 
they  must  seem  extremely  foolish  and  ridiculou?.  How  absurd  (to  an 
understanding  not  convinced  of  the  original  defilement  of  our  na- 
ture) must  it  appear  to  talk  of  remitting  an  infant's  sins  ;  of  causing 
the  Old  Adam  to  be  buried,  and  his  carnal  affections  to  die  in 
him  f  while  all  the  time  the  hearer  tliinks  that  the  infant  as  yet 
has  no  sin,  no  carnal  affections, — while  the  very  existence  of  the 
Old  Adatn  or  original  sin  is  doubted  by  him  l'^ 

The  sacred  records  of  Christian  experience  furnish  full  confirma- 
tion of  her  humiliating  statement. 

'  Oh  !  what  an  unmeaning  heap  of  words,' — she  exclaims — 'has 

1  Job  xiv.  4.  2  Rom.  \.  12.  3  John  iii.  6. 

4  Rom.  viii.  8.  5  Eph.  ii.  3.  «  Rom.  v.  14. 

7  Page  oOS.  s  See  the  Baptismal  Service.        »  Page  14. 

4 


50  '  MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

been  handed  down  to  us  in  the  law  of  Moses,  the  Psahns  of  David, 
the  confessions  of  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  Job,  Daniel,  Jeremiah,  and  the 
rest  of  God's  saints,  if  that  evil  nature  which  caused  them  to  groan 
did  not  really  exist !  Above  all^what  shall  we  make  of  Romans 
iii.  and  vii.  ?  What  shall  we  understand  by  the  conflict  between 
the  flesh  and  the  Spirit,'  between  the  old  man  and  the  new  man, 
between  the  carnal  and  spiritual  aflections  ?  Was  St.  Paul  dream- 
ing-, when  he  said — "  I  know  that  in  me,  that  is,  in  my  flesh,  dwell- 
eth  no  good  thing  ?"^  Was  he  beside  himself,  when  he  declared 
"  that  he  found  in  himself  a  law,  that  when,  he  would  do  good,  evil 
was  present  with  him  V'^  that,  though  by  Divine  grace  he  had 
learnt  "  to  delight  in  tl)e  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man,  yet  still 
he  saw  another  law  in  his  members,  warring  against  the  law  of  his 
mind,  and  bringing  him  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  which  was 
in  his  members?'"*  The  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  "who  labored 
more  abundantly  than  they  all  f'^  he,  who  "  had  been  caught  up  to 
the  third  heaven,  and  heard  unspeakable  words  which  it  was  not 
lawful  for  him  to  utter"^  amongst  sinful  men  ;  he,  who  "  counted  all 
things  but  dung,  that  he  might  win  Christ;"^  he,  who  was  "ready, 
not  only  to  be  bound,  but  also  to  die  for  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  ;"^  this  chosen  vessel  of  mercy,  full  of  zeal  and  full  of  love, 
and  under  the  immediate  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  so 
groaned  under  the  burden  of  the  original  corruption  of  his  na- 
ture— "the  law  of  sin  warring  in  his  members  ;"  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  cry  out — "  O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver 
me  from  the  body  of  this  death?"'  And  from  the  time  of  Paul 
there  has  never  been  a  real  Christian,  who  has  not  often  felt  him- 
self constrained  to  adopt  this  language,  and  to  say  in  the  anguish 
of  his  soul — "who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?" 
The  remedy,  as  is  usual  in  Scripture,  follows  close  upon  the  com- 
plaint: "I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  "" 

From  her  Mathematical  Manuscript  we  extract  the  following 
method  of  proof  of  the  total  depravity  of  man.  In  speaking  of  the 
three  modes  of  demonstration — Inference,  Coincidence,  and  Reduc- 
tio  ad  ahsurdwn^^ — she  thus  applies  the  last  mode  to  the  subject 
alluded  to — '  If  man  be  not  utterly  depraved,  he  must  be  in  one 
of  these  two  states — either  perfectly  good,  without  any  mixture  of 
sin  ;  or  good,  with  some  admixture  of  evil  and  imperfection.  The 
first  of  these  suppositions  carries  its  own  absurdity  upon  the  face  of 
it.  The  second  is  plausible,  and  more  generally  received.  Yet  it 
is  not  difficult  to  prove,  that  if  man  had  any  remaining  good  in 
him,  that  is,— towards  God— he  could  not  possibly  be  the  creature 
that  he  now  is.  There  could  not  be  that  carelessness  about  his 
eternal  welfare,  that  deadness   to  spiritual  things,  which  we  pcr- 

1  GM.  V.  17.  -  Rom.  vii.  18.  3  ih.  V.  21. 

*  Rom.  V.  22,  23.  5  1  Cor.  xv.  10.  6  2  Cor.  xii.  2,  4. 

7  Phil.  iii.  8.  8  Acts  xxi.  13.  »  Rom.  vii.  24. 

'0  Rom.  vii.  25.     Patre  14. 
^'  i.  e.     The  contrurj^  hypothesis  necessarily  involving  an  absurdity. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  ^ 

ceive  in  every  individual,  whose  heart  has  not  been  renewed  by- 
Divine  grace.  Man  would  not  love  pleasure  more  than  God.  He 
would  not  prefer  "  the  things  which  are  seen  and  which  are  tem- 
poral" to  "  the  things  that  are  not  seen  and  are  eternal."  He  would 
not  trifle  with  sin.  He  would  not  sneer  at  holiness.  He  would  not 
habitually  nefflect  to  pray. 

'All  these  Uiings  are  utterly  incompatible  with  the  hypothesis, 
that  man  is  onlv  partially  fallen  from  God.  The  very  least  spark 
of  innate  godliness  would  imply  a  restless  dissatisfaction  in  what  is 
evil ;  an  importunate  longing  to  be  freed  from  it.  The  man  in 
whom  such  a  spark  of  goodness  existed,  would  breathe  after  lost 
communion  with  his  Maker.  He  would  prefer  God's  will  and 
pleasure  to  his  own.  "The  honor  that  cometh  from  God  only" 
would  be  dearer  to  him  than  the  most  splendid  tribute  of  human 
applause.  Is  anything  like  this  to  be  found  in  man  before  his  re- 
ception of  Divine  grace?  No— He  "lives  without  God  in  the 
world:"  chooses  his  own  will  and  pleasure,  and  seeks  his  own 
glory.     He  is  utterly  selfish  ;  therefore  he  is  utterhj  fallen. 

'  We  find  then  that  the  doctrine  of  man's  partial  depravity  in- 
volves absurd  consequences.  It  leads  to  conclusions  which  are 
wholly  at  variance  with  fact.  These  reflections  bring  us  back  to 
the  Scripture  statement.  We  admit  that  the  heart  of  man  may 
yet  be  the  seat  of  many  noble  and  tender  affections  torcards  his 
fellow-men.  But  in  regard  to  God,  we  declare  his  affections  to  be 
alienated,  his  understanding  darkened,  his  will  depraved.  "There 
is  none  that  understandeth  ;  there  is  none  that  seeketh  after  God. 
They  are  all  gone  aside  ;  they  are  altogether  become  filthy ;  there 
is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one."  " 

The  utter  helplessness  of  man  she  adduces  with  great  clearness 
and  power,  to  prove  that  the  work  of  grace,  from  its  earliest  com- 
mencement to  its  final  consummation,  is  "  all  of  God." 

'Grace  will  be  given'— she  observes— '  to  all  who  diligently  seek 
for  it.  But,  if  we  attend  to  the  Scripture  account  of  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  by  nature,  we  shall  find  that  this  seeking  also  is 
the  effect  following  upon  grace  received  ;  not  the  cause  producing 
it.  By  this  I  mean  to  say,  that  the  very  act  of  seeking  grace 
proves  that  xoe  have  received  grace  already ;  and  that  the  very 
ability  to  seek,  is  itself  the  free  gift  of  God's  sovereign  grace.  If 
"  every  thought  of  man's  heart  is  evil,  and  that  c  ont  inn  ally, ^"^  surely 
it  is  not  out  of  that  heart  that  the  first  desire  of  any  good  thing  can 
spring.  If,  by  nature,  "  there  is  none  that  seeketh  after  God^'^ 
whence  can  the  first  attempt  to  seek  him  arise,  but  from  free  grace 
drawing  us  contrary  to  nature  ?  Freely  must  grace  be  given  to 
enable  us  to  seek  at  first ;  and  freely  must  it  be  continued,  to  enable 
us  to  go  on  seeking.  I  know  that  none  shall  seek  the  Lord  in 
vain  ;  none  who  come  shall  be  cast  out ;  none  who  believe  shall 
come  short  of  everlasting  life  ;    nO]i,e  who  choose  the  better  part 

»  Psalm  xiv.  2,  3.     Rom.  iii.  10—12.  2  Gen.  vi.  5.  3  Rom.  iii.  II. 


52  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

shall  have  it  taken  from  them  ;i  but  then  none  can  seek  the  Lord,  un- 
less he  first  seek  them?  None  can  come,  except  it  be  given  them 
of  the  Father  ; — none  can  believe,  save  as  many  as  are  ordained 
to  eternal  life  ;  None  can  choose  Christ,  except  he  first  choose  them? 
If,  again,  we  consider  the  magnitude  of  the  change,  which  must 
take  place  in  every  sinner's  heart  before  he  can  truly  and  earnestly 
seek  God,  we  shall  be  convinced  that  no  part  of  it  is  properly  his 
own.  He  must  •'  be  born  again  ;'"^  must  become  a  new  creature  ; 
old  things  must  pass  away,  all  things  must  become  neto  /'^  he  must 
"pass  from  death  unto  life;"«  "from  darkness  to  light — from  the 
power  of  Satan  unto  God"^ — "  from  going  about  to  esiabhsh  his  own 
righteousness,  to  submit  himself  to  the  righteousness  of  God  f^  and 
this,  to  a  proud  carnal  heart,  is  the  most  difficult  of  all.  And  who 
is  sufficient  for  ihese  things?  Who  but  He  that  first  formed  us  in 
the  womb,  can  cause  us  to  be  born  again  of  the  Spirit?  Who  but 
He  that  originally  created  us,  is  able  to  "create  us  anew  in  Christ 
Jesus  ?"  Who  but  the  giver  of  natural  life  can  give  spiritual  hfe  ; 
"and  quicken  those  that  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins?"^ 

When  the  Lord  of  life  stood  by  the  grave  of  Lazarus  and  said — 
"Lazarus  come  forth;  and  he  that  was  dead,  instantly  came 
forth;"'"  who  would  say,  that  this  act  of  lifting  himself  up  was  the 
cause  of  his  coming  to  life:  and  not  rather,  that  his  coming  to  hfe 
was  the  cause  of  his  being  able  to  lift  himself  up  ?  It  is  thus,  when 
Jesus  by  his  word  and  Spirit  says  to  the  heart  of  a  sinner — "  Awake, 
thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give 
thee  light,'-"  Instantly  that  dead  soul  arises,  and  its  first  act  is 
seeking,  or  prayer ;  but  this  same  act  of  seeldng  is  the  effect  of 
spiritual  life,  not  the  cause.  We  pray  because  ive  are  alive,  not 
that  we  may  Hoe.  We  cannot  quicken  ourselves  when  dead  in 
sin,  any  more  than  we  can  bring  a  dead  body  to  life.  But  when 
Jesus  lias  quickened  us,  we  shall  as  surely  perform  all  those  ac- 
tions, which  demonstrate  the  soul  to  be  spiritually  alive,  as  a  dead 
body  when  raised  by  Divine  power,  will  surely  perform  all  the  func- 
tions of  a  living  person.  Grace,  great  grace,  must  be  infused,  to 
enable  us  to  seek  at  all ;  and  He  who  first  gave  grace  to  seek,  will 
give  more  grace  in  answer  to  that  seeking,  thus  fulfilling  that  pre- 
cious scripture  which  saith— "  To  him  that  hath,  shall  be  given.'"^ 
We  neither  begin  nor  carry  on  the  work  of  grace  in  our  own 
hearts.  "  Jesus  is  the  author  and  finisher,"  the  Alpha  and  Omega, 
"of  our  faith." '3  From  the  first  spark  of  grace  that  faintly  glim- 
mers upon  us  here,  to  the  full  blaze  of  glory  which  shall  burst  upon 
us  in  heaven;  all,  all  is  his  doing;  it  is  he  that  made  us  alive 
(spiritually,)  not  we  ourselves.     It  is  God  who  both  begins  the 

1  Isaiah  xlv.  19.  John  vi.  37,  40.     Luke  x.  42. 

2  John  X.  IG.     Ezek.  xxxiv.  14.     Luke  xix.  10.     Psalm  cxix.  176.     Eph.  ii.  13. 

3  John  vi.  65  ;  xv.  16.     Acts  xiii.  43.         ^  John  iii.  3.  5  2  Cor.  v.  17. 
6  1  John  iii.  14.                                             ^  Acts  xxvi.  18.     1  Peter  ii.  9. 

8  Rom.  X.  3.  9  Ephesiansii.  1.         i"  John  xi.  43,  44.        ^  Ephesians  v.  14, 

»  Matt.  xui.  12.  13  Heb.  xii.  2. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  53 

good  work  in  us,  and  also  will  "  perform  it  unto  the  day  of  Jesus 
Christ."  " 

Then,  after  having  confirmed  her  statement  by  the  strong  and 
unequivocal  language  of  the  Church,  she  proceeds  to  exhibit  in  con- 
nection with  it,  ilie  perfect  freeness  of  Divine  grace. 

'  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  a  clear  and  full  view  of  this  doc- 
trine, that  we  ascribe  to  the  free,  sovereign,  and  unmerited  grace 
of  God,  the  first  desire  after  him  that  ever  arose  in  our  hearts,  as 
well  as  the  fulfilling  of  that  desire,  when  expressed  in  prayer.  We 
must  be  convinced  (hat  nothing  in  the  work  of  salvation  is  onr  own, 
but  only  the  gift  of  God's  love  to  us  in  Christ  Jesus.  Christ  died 
for  us  when  we  were  enemies.*  The  benefits  of  his  death  are  ap- 
plied to  us,  for  the  purpose  of  reconciling  us,  not  in  consequence  of 
onr  making  any  advances  towards  being  reconciled.  He  "died  for 
the  ungodly, ^^  for  tho-e  who  were  '■'•without  strength'^^  without 
strength  to  come  to  Him  ;  without  strength  to  form  so  much  as  a 
wish  to  come  to  Him.  The  desire  to  come  is  given  for  His  sake  : 
the  ability  to  come  is  given /or  His  sake  ;  the  acceptance  on  com- 
ing is  an  acceptance /or  the  beloved  sake  of  this  beloved  /Saviour, 
"without  whom  we  can  do  nothing."*  Those  who  say — 'Grace 
will  be  given  if  we  ask ;  but  then  asking  must  precede  or  procure 
the  given  grace' — are  in  effect  robbing  God  of  much  of  tlie  glory 
due  unto  his  name.  For  the  power  and  the  inclination  to  ask  are 
of  themselves  a  part  of  the  free  gift  of  God's  grace  to  us  in  Christ 
Jesus.  They  are  the  beginning  of  God's  work  in  the  heart ;  and 
to  say,  that  we  begin  this  work,  is  no  other  than  to  say  that  we 
can  create  ourselves  anew  in  Christ  Jesus.  I  will  venture  to  affirm, 
that  if  God  ivaited  to  give  us  his  grace  till  we- asked  him  for  it  of 
our  own  accord,  we  should  go  without  it  to  all  eternity. 

'  The  great  source  of  error  on  this  head,  even  amongst  serious 
people,  is,  that  they  cannot  bring  themselves  to  think  they  have 
nothing  of  their  ouni  in  the  work  of  salvation.  Therefore  it  is, 
that,  when  constrained  to  acknowledge  that  the  grace  given  them 
when  they  seek,  is  from  God  only  ;  their  self-righteousness  betakes 

*  Phil.  i.  f).  Freeness  of  Grace,  pp.  48 — 51.  While  however  she  lays  down  the  fun- 
damental principle,  that  in  the  work  of  salvation  "all  is  of  God,"  she' insists  upon  the 
necessity  of  rational  means  in  connection  with  Divine  agency.  '  The  Spirit  alone,'  she 
observes  in  her  manuscript — 'can  "convince  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg- 
ment." (.lohn  xvi.  8.)  But  then  he  does  so  hy  means  of  our  understandings — not  in 
despite  of  them.  He  who  first  made  us  reasonable  beings,  acts  upon  us  in  a  way  suited 
to  our  reason.  He  gives  us  no  new  faculties,  but  enables  us  for  the  right  use  of  those 
which  we  already  have :  There  cannot  be  a  greater  mistake  than  the  separation  which 
some  make  between  the  operation  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  process  of  rational  conviction. 
They  are  related  to  each  other  asthecauseto  theetTect.  The  Spirit  of  God  alone  "guides 
into  all  truth,"  (John  xvi.  1.3,)  yet  not  by  urging  us  on  blindfold  with  headlong  impulse. 
He  opens  our  eyes,  and  pours  in  the  light  from  above.  The  eves  which  he  opens  are 
"theeyes  of  our  understanding."  (Eph.  i.  18.)  The  light  which  he  sheds  forth  is  the 
steady  light  of  rational  and  sober  conviction.  It  is  not  the  cold  moonshine  of  formality, 
which  only  plays  round  the  head.  It  is  not  the  false  glare  of  enthusiasm,  which  only 
dazzles  the  imagination.  His  is  that  piercing  beam,  which,  while  it  illuminates  and  con- 
vinces the  understanding,  purifies  and  converts  the  heart.' 

2  Rom.  V.  10.  3  Ibid.  6.  i  John  xv.  5. 


54  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

itself  to  another  stronghold  :  and  we  find  them  laying  claim  to  their 
askinff  and  seeking,  as  if  that  at  least  was  the  effort  of  their  own 
wnll,  the  spontaneous  act  of  their  own  power.  This  is  just  as  if 
one  should  take  a  dead  person  by  the  hand,  breathe  life  into  him, 
and  lift  him  up  upon  his  feet ;  and  that  person  should  make  a  show 
of  acknowledgment  to  his  benefactor,  by  allowing  to  that  benefac- 
tor the  praise  of  lifting  him  up  after  he  was  alive,  and  keeping  him 
alive  ever  since,  and  yet  should  maintain,  that  the  first  breath  of 
all  came  into  him  by  his  own  spontaneous  act,  by  the  effort  of  his 
own  assisted  power.  The  absurdity  of  such  an  assertion  with  re- 
gard to  temporal  life,  would  strike  us  at  once  ;  but  we  are  not  so 
struck  with  it  in  reference  to  spiritual  life  ;  and  the  reason  is  this  : 
when  we  speak  of  a  corpse,  we  know  what  we  speak  about ;  there 
it  lies  before  our  eyes,  incapable  of  breathing,  moving,  speaking. 
We  perfectly  know  what  we  mean,  when  we  say  that  a  dead  body 
cannot  raise  itself  to  life.  But  when  we  speak  of  a  soul  "dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins,"  we  too  often  use  the  phrase,  merely  because 
we  find  it  in  the  Scriptures:  without  the  slightest  conception  of  the 
awful  reality  expressed  by  it.  Nor  is  it  till  we  have  ourselves  \\\ 
some  measure  "  passed  from  death  unto  life,''  that  we  begin  to  per- 
ceive the  dreadful  and  close  analogy,  which  really  exists  between 
the  two  states  of  natural  and  spiritual  death.  If  God  were  to  come 
to  an  unconverted  person  with  the  question — not — "  Can  these  dry 
bones" — but  Can  these  dead  souls—"  live  ?"  he  would  be  apt  to 
reply— -Why  not?  What  should  hinder  them  from  raising  them- 
selves up,  and  breathing  tlie  breath  of  spiritual  life?  But  when 
God  has  quickened  us  from  our  own  death  in  trespasser  and  sins, 
our  eyes  are  open  to  see  what  spiritual  death  really  is,  and  then  we 
learn  with  trembling  awe  to  reply,  '  "  Lord,  thou  knowest :"'  this  is 
thy  work  :  it  is  thou  that  must  make  us  to  live,  aiid  not  we  our- 
selves.' 

'  Since,  then,  men  are  universally  disposed  to  "  go  about  establish- 
ing their  own  righteousness,"  how  carefully  ought  we  to  close  up 
every  avenue,  through  which  this  besetting  sin  might  gain  admit- 
tance, and  rob  us  of  our  peace,  by  leading  us  to  rob  Clnist  of  his 
praise  !  Many  are  the  windings  of  our  own  treacherous  hearts ; 
many  are  the  devices  of  Satan,  by  which  he  would  tempt  us  to  as- 
cribe to  our  own  strength,  what  God  hath  done  for  us  of  his  mere 
mercy.  Nor  let  us  think  that  a  mistake  here  can  be  of  trifling  im- 
portance. God  is  very  jealous  for  bis  great  name ;  and  he  has  de- 
clared, that  "  if  we  will  not  lay  it  to  heart,  to  give  glory  to  his  name, 
he  will  send  a  curse  upon  us,  and  will  even  curse  our  blessings."'^ 
Many  and  glorious  are  the  crowns  which  adorn  the  sacred  head  of 
ImmanueL  Let  us  not  try  to  pluck  thence  the  brightest  and  fairest 
of  them  all :  for  well  does  it  become  this  King  of  kings.  When  we 
reach  heaven,  and  receive  the  crown  of  glory,  we  shall  be  ready 
enough  to  cast  that  at  his  feet,  and  to  say,  Tliou  only  art  worthy. 

1  Ezek.  xxxvii.  3.  ^  Mai.  ii.  2. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  55 

Let  US  do  the  same  with  the  crown  of  grace  here;  for  surely  we 
have  as  httle  right  to  arrogate  the  one  to  ourselves  as  the  other.'' 

These  Scriptural  statements  of  man's  total  corruption  are  well 
connected  with  the  calls  of  the  Gospel— not  as  implying  man's 
natural  free-will  and  power  to  turn  to  God ;  but  as  displaying  the 
riches  of  Divine  grace,  as  stamping  the  mark  of  guilt  upon  the 
moral  inability  of  the  sinner,  and  setting  forth  tlie  means,  by  winch 
the  Lord  accomplishes  the  purposes  of  his  everlasting  love.  Li  the 
valley  of  dry  bones,  to  which  Miss  Graham  has  just  alluded,  the 
prophet  was  connuanded  to  "call  the  things  that  be  not,  as  though 
they  were."  The  Almighty  power  of  God  gave  effect  to  the  feeble 
voice  of  his  servant.-  He  fails  not  to  manifest  the  same  almighty 
power  in  the  resurrection  of  souls  under  the  ministration  of  his 
Gospel ;  while  the  sovereignty  of  his  grace  is  not  less  apparent  in 
*'  quickening  whom  he  will."^ 

Perhaps,  however.  Miss  Graham  may  be  considered  somewhat 
defective  in  an  exhibition  of  the  free  invitations  of  the  Gospel. 
Many  exclusive  writers*  deem  it  unnecessary  to  address  the  lan- 
guage of  pleading  love  and  urgent  remonstrance,  where  the  want 
of  inclination  opposes  a  moral  barrier  to  its  success.  But  this  is  to 
obscure  the  riches  of  the  grace  of  God  by  the  narrow  and  perverted 
reasoning  of  man.  Our  Lord's  personal  ministry  was  in  no  way 
restrained  by  his  perfect  knowledge  of  the  eternal  purpose  or  of  hu- 
man inability.  Though  the  objects  of  electing  love  were  individu- 
ally known  to  him,  yet  his  gracious  offers  were  as  general,  as  if  no 
counsel  had  been  fixed  in  the  eternal  mind,  or  as  if  he  were  unac- 
quainted with  its  restricted  object  and  end.  Though  he  most  de- 
cisively declared  man's  total  inability  to  come  to  him  irrespective 
of  the  sovereign  application  of  Almighty  power  ]^  yet,  "his  bands  of 
love"  were  "the  cords  of  a  man"— suited  to  "draw"  him  as  a  ra- 
tional and  responsible  creature.^  The  freeness  of  Divine  mercy— 
not  the  secret  decree  of  the  Divine  will— was  the  ground  and  rule 
of  his  patient  procedure.  He  spoke  the  glad  tidings  to  the  unbe- 
lieving Jews,  ''tJiat  they  might  be  saved.'"''  He  complains  of  them 
most  tenderly,  that  "  they  tvoiild  not  come  to  him,  that  they  might 
have  life.^  He  connected  his  declaration  of  the  purpose  of  God 
witli  a  full  and  faithful  invitation  to  sinners.^  He  offered  himself 
indefinitely  to  large  and  mixed  assemblies  as  the  provision  for  the 
salvation  of  the  whole  world. i"  He  extended  the  commission  of  his 
Gospel  "  to  every  creature,^^^^  and  closed  the  special  revelation  of  the 

1  Freeness  of  Grace,  pp.  53—57.  ^  Ezek.  xxxvii.  2—10. 

3  John  V.  21, 25,  with  Ephcs.  i.  19,  20. 

*  Miss  Graham,  however,  must  not  be  confoundecl  with  writers  of  this  class.  If  there 
was  an  omission  in  her  statements,  there  was  no  defect  in  her  system.  Her  private  cor- 
respondence abounds  with  the  most  fervid  appeals  to  the  unconverted,  and  the  most  un- 
restricted offers  of  the  Gospel.  See  the  letters  in  Chapter  v.  adduced  as  illustrative  of  her 
'compassionate  concern  fur  the  unconverted.^ 

5  See  John  vi.  44,  65.  6  Hosea  xi.  4.  "  John  v.  34. 

8  John  V.  40.     Compare  Matt,  xxiii.  37.  9  Ibid.  vi. 37. 

"  Ibid.  vi.  50,  51 ;  vii.  37.     Compare  Isaiah  Iv.  1,  2.     Matt.  xi.  28.        "  Mark  xvi.  15. 


56  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

future  history  of  the  church,  with  the  same  widely-extended  em- 
brace of  inestimable  mercy.'  Where,  then,  is  tlie  sinner  that  is  ex- 
cluded from  the  responsibility  of  beheving  the  testimony  ?  Or  where 
is  he  that  is  shut  out  from  the  encouragement  of  its  free  and  large 
invitations  ? 

Turning  from  Miss  Graham's  writings  to  her  correspondence,  we 
find  her  views  of  the  Gospel  to  be  equally  clear  and  encouraging. 

The  following  letter  gives  a  distinct  view  of  the  ground  of  our 
acceptance  with  God  : — 

'February  15,  1828. 

'Dearest .     Join  with  me  in  admiring  the  mercy  of  our 

God.  "For  if,  when  we  were  enemies^  we  were  reconciled  unto 
God  by  the  death  of  his  Son,  much  more,  being  reconciled,  we  shall 
be  saved  by  his  life."'^  "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  God  is" — not  mer- 
ciful and  compassionate., — but  '•'•faithful  d.ViA  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sins."^  For  since  "Christ  once  suffered,  the  just  for  the  unjust"— 
since  He  " hare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree''^ — if  we  be- 
lieve on  him,  and  lay  hold  on  his  salvation,  justice  itself  cannot  but 
acquit  us.  It  cannot  be,  that  Jesus  should  lay  down  His  hfe,  and 
that  then  God  should  require  ours.  It  cannot  be,  that,  when  Jesus 
has  paid  the  dreadful  debt  to  the  very  uttermost  farthing,  we  should 
be  called  upon  to  pay  it  once  again.  No.  As  God  is  a  faithful 
God,  He  must  fulfil  the  promises  He  has  made,  that  not  one  of  all 
those  who  come  to  Him  through  Jesus,  shall  ever  perish.  As  He  is 
a  just  God,  He  will  not  punish  us  and  our  Surety  too — will  not  de- 
mand a  twice-told  reckoning.  If,  indeed,  the  atonement  of  Jesus 
were  not  perfect ;  if  He  had  not  suffered  all,  not  paid  all,  we  might 
tremble.  But  Almighty  Justice  declared  itself  satisfied,  wiien  our 
Surety  was  released  from  the  prison  of  the  tomb,  when  he  sat  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  took  possession  in  our  name  of  the 
inheritance  He  had  purchased  for  us;  and  therefore  it  is  said,  that 
He  "  was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and  was  raised  again  for  our 
justification."^  By  his  death,  He  laid  down  the  price  of  our  salva- 
tion ;  by  His  rising  again,  He  declared  that  the  price  was  accepted 
— the  salvation  complete.  And  this  seems  to  me  the  great  display 
of  God's  wisdom  in  the  cross  of  Christ,  that  the  Just  should  be  able 
to  justify  the  ungodly  without  deviating  one  tittle  from  His  justice 
— "  that  He  should  be  just,  and  (yet)  the  Juslifier  of  him  which  be- 
lievetli  in  Jesus."^     But  we  find  these  two  things  inseparably  united 

»  Rev.  xxii.  16,  17.  2  Rom.  v.  10.  3  IJohn  i.  9. 

4  1  Peter  iii.  18;  ii.  2t.  «  Rom.  iv.  25. 

5  Ibid.  iii.  2(3.  We  extract  an  illustration  of  the  subject  from  her  Manuscript,  equally 
beautiful  and  just.  In  defininir  the  principle  of  analy.sis  to  be — taking  to  pieces  a  train  of 
argument,  and  examining  the  soundness  of  its  coin|)onent  parts,  she  gives  the  following 
Scriptural  example. — ' "  Christ  crucified,  the  wisdom  of  Gad,  and  the  power  of  God." 
(1  Cor.  i.  23,  21.)  What  an  overwhelming  multitude  of  reflections  crowd  upon  the  se- 
rious mind  at  the  bare  mention  of  these  words  !  But  in  proving  the  doctrine  to  unbe- 
lievers, how  manv  concurrent  circumstances  must  be  separately  and  distinctly  unfoldeil  ! 
It  is  alleo-ed  to  lie  incompatible  both  with  "  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God,"  that  heshould 
be  constrained  to  glorify  one  of  his  attributes  at  the  expense  of  another.     We  must  there- 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  57 

in  Scripture — holiness  and  salvation,  as  I  saw  it  well  expressed  in 
some  little  work  I  was  reading  the  other  day:  'No  salvation  hy 
works;  and  yet  no  salvation  without  works.'  "Christ  hath  God 
exaUed  to  he  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins."'  If,  then,  we  follow  and  obey  him  not  as  our  Prince, 
He  is  as  yet  no  Saviour  to  us.  If  He  has  not  given  us  repentance, 
we  must  not  suppose  that  He  has  given  us   remission.     But  dear 

,  let  us  bear  in  mind,  that  botii  are  gifts.     Repentance  is  as 

much  a  gift,  and  as  little  a  merit  as  pardon.  I  fear  I  have  been 
very  tedious ;  but  the  subject  has  led  me  further  tiian  I  intended. 
We  are  sinners  seeking  a  common  Saviour;  and,  therefore,  I  trust 
that  nothing  we  can  say  of  him  can  be  wearisome.' 

The  practical  view  of  this  statement  is  more  fully  developed  in 
one  of  her  latest  letters  to  the  same  correspondent : 

'  September,  1830. 

'Far  from  thinking  it  presumption  to  write  as  you  have  done, 
my  dear  friend,  I  think  we  ought  not  to  be  ashamed  of  owning  what 
God  has  done  for  our  souls.  We  know  that  it  is  solely  "  by  the 
grace  of  God" — His  free,  unmerited  favor — that  we  "are  what  we 
are  ;"  and  that  in  our  lips,  and  ahove  all,  in  our  lives,  we  are  bound 
to  show,  that  "tiie  grace  of  God  was  not  bestowed  upon  us  in 
vain."2 

'  Dear ,  it  has  indeed  pleased  God  to  '•'  call  us  to  His  king- 
dom and  glory  :"  let  us  (in  His  strength)  "  walk  worthy  of  the  high 
vocation  wherewith  we  are  called."  "  Let  us  exhort  one  another 
daily  while  it  is  called  to-day ;  let  us  provoke  one  another  unto  love 
and  to  good  works  ;"^  and  above  all — let  us  pray  for  one  another — 
and  that  fervently  and  unceasingly.  We  have  need  not  only  to 
pray,  but  to  "  tratch  unto  prayer  /'^  for  it  is  only  as  long  as  we 
maintain  this  watchful  spirit,  that  we  can  hope  to  enjoy  any  of  the 
comforts  of  religion.  Let  me  entreat  yon — not  as  one  whose  free- 
dom from  these  sins  gives  her  a  right  to  exhort  others — but  as  one 
who  has  herself  felt  by  mournful  experience  what  "  an  evil  and  bitter 
thing  it  is"5  to  depart  from  the  God  of  our  salvation  ;  as  a  back- 
slider, whose  backslidings  have  been  healed  by  the  inexpressible 
mercy  of  a  long-sutrering  God — let  me  most  earnestly  and  affec- 
tionately ntreat  you  to  guard  eagainst  the  least  declension  from 
holiness — the  least  relaxation  in  that  close  and  humble  walking 

fore  consider  each  attribute  apart  from  the  rest,  and  show  how  each  is  glorified  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  cross.  Each  part  of  the  argument  must  be  unfolded.  Each  link  of  the 
wondrous  chain  must  be  distinctly  separated.  We  may  offer  them  successively  to  the 
unbeliever,  and  challenge  the  strictest  scrutiny  to  detect  a  single  break.  If  only  one  link 
he  imperfect,  the  whole  chain  must  give  away.  All  the  hopes  which  hang  upon  it  must 
perish.  But  the  more  closely  we  examine  it,  the  more  complete  will  be  our  satisfaction. 
I  have  adduced  this  doctrine  in  illustration  of  my  meaning,  because  I  know  of  none  which 
involves  a  greater  number  of  considerations.  In  Maclaul'in's  Sermon  on  the  Glory  of 
the  Cross,  we  have  a  most  perfect  specimen  of  this  kind  of  analysis.' 

1  Acts  V.  31.  2  I  Cor.  XV.  10.  3  Eph.  iv.  1.     Hebrews  iii.  13 ;  x.  24. 

*  1  Peter  iv.  7.  5  Jeremiah  ii.  19. 


58  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

with  God,  which  alone  can  keep  you  peaceful  and  happy.  Works 
cannot  juslify  us  before  God  ;  but  we  are  said  to  be  justified  by 
works  in  one  part  of  Scripture' — that  is,  they  are  the  only  evidence 
of  our  justification  tliat  we  can  oifer  to  our  fellow-creatures.  "  Ye 
shall  know  them  by  their  fruits."^  And  what  are  '•  the  fruits  of  tlie 
Spirit?''  Forgive  me,  if  I  record  them  here — the  description  is  so 
lovely,  that  we  cannot  remind  one  another  of  it  too  often — •'  The 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekne.^3,  temperance ;  against  such  there  is  no  law. 
And  they  that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the  flesh  with  the  affec- 
tions and  lusts."^     Let  us  examine  ourselves  by  this,  dearest . 

Let  us  see  whether  we  bring  forth  this  fruit,  and  whether  we 
"bring  foith  much  fruit— 50  shall  we  be  His  disciples.''''*  My 
course  is  perhaps  almost  ended.  I  have  reason  to  hope  that  it  will 
not  be  very  long  ere  I  enter  into  that  rest,  which  Jesus  has  pur- 
chased for  me  with  his  blood.  Oh,  that  I  had  walked  more  to  his 
glory,  "  who  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me  !"  But  your  course 
(as  a  Christian)  is  but  lately  begun,  and  may,  if  the  Lord  please, 
be  continued  for  many  years.  Oh,  then,  let  it  be  indeed  "  the  path 
of  the  just,  which  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shining  more  and 
more  unto  the  psrfect  day."^  "  Be  thou  an  example  of  the  believers, 
in  word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in  faith,  in  purity.  Love  not 
the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world.  Be  clothed 
with  humility;"^  for  as  you  are  of  an  humbled  and  "contrite  spirit, 
and  tremble  at  God's  word,"  so  will  "  the  High  and  Lofty  One  who 
inhabiteth  eternity,"  delight  to  dwell  in  your  heart,  to  bless  you  with 

his  refreshing  and  sanctifying  presence.''     And  now,  dearest , 

"  may  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly  ;  and  I  pray  God, 
your  whole  body,  and  soul  and  spirit,  be  preserved  blameless  unto 
the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ."^  To  Him  may  we  with  one  heart  and 
voice,  give  glory  both  now  and  for  evermore !     Amen.' 

The  following  letter,  however,  carefully  separates  the  fruit  of 
faith  from  every  ground  of  dependence.  The  application  of  the 
subject  for  Christian  consolation  will  be  interesting. 

'  Stoke,  Feb.  21,  1827. 
'  The  chapter  you  mention  (Matthew  xxv.)  is  particularly  delight- 
ful, as  holding  out  a  lovely  picture  of  the  people  of  Christ.  But  let 
us  mark,  that  it  is  not  the  action,  but  the  motive,  which  meets  with 
such  high  commendation.  It  is  not  said — Ye  fed  the  liungry,  gave 
drink  to  the  thirsty,  &c.,  but  "  I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me  meat ; 
I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink  ;  inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  to  one  of 
the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  unto  me."  And  this  appears  to  be  the 
grand  difference  between  Christians  and  worldly  people.    The  Chris- 

'  James  ii.  21,  23,  24.  2  Matthew  vii.  IG.  3  Galatians  v.  22—24. 

*  John  XV.  8.  5  Proverbs  iv.  18. 

6  1  Tim.  iv.  13.     1  John  ii.  15.  1  Peter  v.  5.  7  isaiah  Ixvi.  2 ;  Ivii.  15. 

8  1  Thes.  V.  2:i. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 


tian  does  everything  as  unto  Christ — in  His  name,  in  His  strength, 
and  to  His  glory.  The  worldling  may,  and  often  does,  out  of  natural 
benevolence  or  ostentation,  feed  the  hungry,  or  clothe  the  naked  ;  but 
he  does  it  not  unto  Jesus,  but  to  please  himself,  to  gratify  natural  feel- 
ing, to  appear  well  in  the  sight  of  others,  to  gain  a  stock  of  merit 
enough  to  buy  heaven,  or  at  least  to  help  out  what  may  be  want- 
ing in  the  merit  of  Christ.  These  are  his  best  motives :  Talk  to 
him  of  doing  good  works;  because  you  are  saved,  and  not  that 
you  7nay  be  saved  ;  and  you  are  talking  of  a  thing  which  never 
entered  his  narrow  heart,  and  which  will  not  enter  it,  till  it  is  en- 
larged by  the  grace  of  Christ.  But  let  us  beg  of  God  to  give  us 
this  motive,  and  right  actions  will  naturally  follow.  It  will,  as 
some  one  expresses  it.  '  like  the  spring  of  a  watch,  soon  set  all  the 
wheels  of  our  souls  a-going.'  I  cannot  leave  this  chapter  without 
sharing  with  you  the  comfort  I  have  derived  from  it  in  another 
point  of  view.  Does  Jesus  say— ='  I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me 
meat,"&c.  ?  Is  He  then  hungr)^,  when  we  are  hungry?  Does 
He  faint,  when  we  are  thirsty,  and  languish  when  we  are  "sick  and 
in  prison?"  And  think  you,  He  will  not  much  more  sympathize 
with  our  spiritual  necessities?  When  we  hunger  for  the  bread  of 
life,  and  thirst  for  living  water ;  when  we  are  sensible  that  our 
guilty  souls  stand  "  naked"  before  him;  when  we  feel  ourselves 
"  sick"  of  that  worst  disease,  sin  ;  and  in  bondage  to  Satan,  that 
most  hard  master — will  not  He  then  sympathize  with  us?  And 
His  pity  will  not  be  a  vain  and  empty  pity.  He  will  not  only  sym- 
pathize, but  relieve.  He  will  feed,  and  nourish,  and  clothe,  and 
heal  and  deliver  us.  Nor  will  he  be  content  with  this.  But  the 
same  pity  He  feels  for  us.  He  will  teach  us  to  feel  for  others ;  so  that 
we  shall  be  such  characters  as  He  describes  the  "  blessed  of  the  Fa- 
ther" to  be.  Only  let  us  trust  Him  for  all  this,  and  continually 
importune  him  for  it;  for  his  promises  are  all  addressed  to  those 
who  trust,  and  ask,  and  seek,  and  knock.' 

The  freeness  and  fulness  of  the  Gospel  are  delightfully  applied,  to 
counteract  the  subtle  influence  of  self-righteousness. 

'  September  28,  1825. 
'You  tell  me,  my  beloved  friend,  that  you  have  lately  suffered 
wordly  thoughts  to  engross  too  much  of  your  time,  and  that  you 
have  found  little  comfort  in  prayer.  Will  you  let  me  tell  you  what 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  cause  of  this ;  at  least  as  far  as  I  can  judge 
of  my  own  experience  ? 

'You  need  a  more  simple  and  entire  dependence  on  what  Christ 
has  done  for  you,  and  will  do  in  you  ;  you  want  to  be  doing  some- 
thing yourself,  when  He  has  done  all ;  you  would  repent  and  pray 
■  earnestly,  and  then  you  think  Christ  would  forgive  you.     I  do  not 
know  whether  I  am  right  with  regard  to  yotn-  feelings  ;  but  this  at 

least  has  sometimes  been  my  own  case  ;  but  in  fact,  my  dear , 

it  was  for  sinners,  who  cannot  repent,  who  carinot  pray,  that  the 
Saviour  came  to  die.     Repentance  is  His  gift— His  free  gift-— as 


60  MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

well  as  pardon  ;  and  it  is  only  when  we  are  willing  to  come  to 
Him^poor,  empty,  and  miseralile  as  we  are — that  He  delights  in 
"fiUinj^  us  with  good  things."  1  think  I  have  not  clearly  explained 
myself;  but  I  will  try  to  give  you  an  instance  of  what  I  mean. 

'  I  used  to  be  often  doubting  whether  I  was  one  of  Christ's  people 
or  not.  Now  this  one  text  satisfied  all  my  doubts, — "  All  that  the 
Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me  ;  and  him  that  cometh  to  me  I 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out."'  From  this  it  seems  there  is  but  one 
question — Am  I  willing  to  come  to  Christ?  If  so,  then  am  I  one 
of  those  whom  '-the  Father  hath  given  Him  ;"  if  so,  then  will  He 
never,  never  cast  me  out ;  and  if  so,  then  is  God  the  Father,  then  is 
God  the  Son,  engaged  by  an  immutable  promise,  by  unchangeable 
faithfulness,  to  bring  me — a  feeble  worm  of  the  earth — a  sinner  by 
nature  and  practice — yes,  even  to  bring  me  safe  home  to  glory. 
Am  I  willing?  Oh  my  dear  friend,  1  doubt  not  your  heart  is 
answering  to  mine  :  Yes,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  am  willing  to 
come  unto  thee.  "  To  whom  should  I  go?"  for  there  is  ''  none  in 
heaven  or  in  earth,  that  I  desire  beside  thee !"  Again,  with  regard 
to  the  love  of  the  world,— that  great  enemy  to  the  Christian  life, — 
I  used  to  think,  how  shall  I  overcome  it?  Now,  I  look  simply  to 
Jesus,  who  has  said — '•  Be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have  overcome  the 
world. "'^  He  has  overcome  it  for  us,  and  will  overcome  it  in  us. 
For  how  can  we  love  that  world,  which  crucified  our  Lord  and 
Saviour?  How  can  we  give  way  to  tliat  "love  of  the  world," 
which  will  deprive  us  of  "  the  love  of  the  Father  ?"3     Believe  me, 

my  dear ,  there  is  not  a  sin,  however  deeply  rooted  in  the  heart, 

from  which  we  may  not  be  delivered  by  simply  looking  to  Jesus, 
and  pleading  with  him  his  precious  promises.  To  this  end,  "  let 
the  word  of  Christ  dwell  richly  in  us  with  all  wisdom  ;"  let  us  "  hide 
his  word  in  our  hearts,"  and  we  shall  find  it  will  preserve  us  from 
"  sinning  against  him."*  "  The  love  of  the  world,"  accompanied 
as  it  always  must  be  by  lukewarmuess  in  heavenly  things,  is  indeed 
a  great  sin,  and  will,  as  far  as  we  indulge  in  it.  be  as  a  cloud  between 
us  and  the  Father ;  for,  "  know  ye  not  that  the  friendship  of  the 
world  is  enmity  with  God  ?"5  But  then  we  need  not  be  discouraged  ; 
for  though  we  never  can  overcome  it  in  our  own  strength,  we  have 
a  promise  that  the  "strength  of  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  made  per- 
fect in  our  weakness."^  "Of  his  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and 
grace  for  grace."'  Dost  thou  want  grace  every  moment  to  keep 
thee  from  falling? — "  My  grace  is  suflficient  foi  thee."  Wouldst 
thou  have  wisdom?  "Christ  is  made  unto  us  wisdom."  "God 
giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not."^  Wouldst  thou 
have  peace?  There  is  "peace  and  joy  for  thee  in  believing."' 
Thy  Saviour  is  "  the  Prince  of  Peace."'"  Wouldst  thou  be  preserved 
unto  the  end?     "  The  Lord  is  faithful,  who  shall  stablish  you,  and 

1  .John  vi.  37.  2  Ibid.  xvi.  33.  3  1  John  ii.  15. 

*  Col.  iii.  IG.  Psalm  cxix.  11.         5  James  iv.  4.  «  2  Cor.  xii  9. 

'  John  i.  16.  8  1  Cor,  i.  30.  James  i.  5.  9  Rxlv.  S.mo. 

10  Isa.  ix.  6. 


\  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  61 

keep  you  from  evil."^  Finally,  do  we  seek  for  direction  in  every 
step  of  our  path  througli  life  ?  Let  us  feed  on  those  precious  prom- 
ises in  Isaiah  xxx.  21.  and  xlviii.  17.  Thus,  my  dear  friend,  we 
may  go  on  "  with  joy,  drawing  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation  ;'"'- 
and  we  are  then  constrained  to  cry  out  with  Jeremiah — "Thy 
words  were  found,  and  I  did  eat  them  ;  and  thy  word  was  unto  me 
the  joy  and  rejoicing  of  mine  heart. ''^  I  fear  that  I  have  already 
taken  too  much  time  upon  this;  but  it  has  pleased  God,  in  my 
afflictions,  to  make  Christ,  and  the  word  of  Christ,  so  unspeakably 
precious  to  me,  that  my  heart  will  not  rest,  till  I  have  called  on  my 
dear  friend  to  live  in  consistency  with  her  privileges  as  a  child  of 
God,  and  to  "  rejoice  in  the  Lord  always."^ 

And  again, 

'  September  17,  1827. 

'  I  have  read  your  letter  again  and  again  with  deepest  interest.  I 
grieved  to  find,  that  you  do  not  gain  any  sensible  comfort  in  the 
path  of  religion.  You  seem  to  think  yourself  going  backward, 
rather  than  forward.  But  may  not  this  be,  because  you  see  daily 
more  of  the  vanity  and  wickedness  of  your  own  heart,  and  of  the 
wretchedness  of  your  very  best  performances?  If  so,  are  you  not 
making  progress?  And  while  perhaps  in  reality  you  are  less  con- 
formed to  the  world,  less  bent  upon  earthly  things  than  you  were 
a  itw  months  ago ;  your  more  enlightened  views  of  the  spiritual 
nature  of  God's  law,  and  the  holy  strictness  of  its  requirements, 
may  make  you  see  more  worldliness  and  sin  in  everything  you  do, 
than  you  were  capable  of  perceiving,  when  you  first  began  the 
study  of  your  own  heart.  For,  believe  me — the  further  we  "  con)e 
up  from  this  wilderness,  leaning  upon  our  beloved,'"''  the  more  clearly 
we  shall  see,  that  not  one  step  can  be  taken  in  our  own  strength  ; 
and  every  time  we  begin  to  think  we  are  a  little  stronger,  and  may 
venture  to  stir  a  few  steps  alone,  we  shall  be  left  to  stumble  and 
fall,  until  he  again  upholds  us  with  his  hand.  We  want  to  be 
something  in  ourselves,  to  have  something  that  we  can  call  our 
own,  something  to  look  at,  and  to  rest  upon  as  such :  when,  alas  ! 
we  are  nothing,  have  nothing,  but  what  comes  to  us  from  the  ful- 
ness of  Jesus.  As  long  as  we  look  into  our  own  hearts  for  any 
source  of  comfort,  we  must  inevitably  be  disappointed.  If  we  look 
at  "  our  righteousnesses,  they  are  but  as  filthy  rags  ;""  "  the  covering 
is  narrower  than  that  a  man  can  wrap  himself  in  it.'"'  But  if  we 
cast  these  filthy  rags  from  us,  and  look  to  the  righteousness  of  Jesus, 
then  we  have  a  spotless  robe — an  ample  covering  for  our  naked  and 
defiled  souls.  I  carmot  help  thinking,  my  beloved  friend,  that  your 
sadness  proceeds  from  thinking  too  much  of  yourself,  and  too  little 
of  Jesus.  You  brood  upon  your  own  sin  and  misery,  till  you  forget 
"  The  Lord  your  righteousness."     You  are  deeply  sensible  of  your 

1  2  Tht^ss.  iii.  3.  2  Isaiah  xii.  3.  3  Jer.  xv.  16.  <  phiUp.  iv.  4. 

5  Canticles  viii.  5.         ^  Isaiah  Ixiv.  6.  '''  Ibid,  xxviii.  20. 


62  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

own  weakness,  but  dwell  too  little  on  the  sweet  assurance,  that 
you  "  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  youP^ 
You  lament  your  own  folly  ;  but  is  not  Jesus  made  wisdom  to  you '.- 
— your  own  insufficiency  ;  but  "in  Jesus  dwells"  there  not  "all  the 
fulness  of  the. Godhead  bodily?'  and  may  not  you  be  "complete 
in  him  ?''2  Yet  let  us  not  cease  to  loolv  at  ourselves  to  make  us 
humble;  but  let  us  look  at  Jesus  to  make  us  happy;  and  when 
we  look  at  him,  let  us  remember,  that  he  is  oar  Jesus,  our  Saviour, 
and  that  he  will  make  us  more  happy.  Let  me  give  you  a  text, 
which  I  have  sometimes  found  to  be  a  sovereign  remedy  against  all 
those  fears,  which  a  view  of  our  own  sinfulness  is  apt  to  excite  : 
"The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower;  the  righteous  run- 
neth into  it  and  is  safe."^  Here  is  comfort ;  here  is  safety.  My 
dear  friend,  I  have  as  much  sin  and  weakness  and  folly  to  lament, 
as  you  can  possibly  have  ;  and  if  it  does  not  make  me  as  miser- 
able as  it  does  you,  it  is  simply  because,  whenever  1  am  frightened 
and  tormented  by  the  accusations  of  conscience,  I  "  run  into  this 
strong  tower,  and  am  safe."  You  too  are  safe,  for  have  you  not 
taken  refuge  there?  Why,  then,  will  you  not  open  your  eyes, 
and  behold  how  the  "  name  of  the  Lord,  as  a  strong  tower,"  com- 
passes you  on  every  side,  so  that  you  are  quite  out  of  the  reach  of 
every  enemy?  Jesus  is  our  "hiding-place  and  our  shield."^  If 
we  fear  Satan,  he  will  soon  "bruise  Satan  under  our  feet."  If  we 
fear  the  world,  Jesus  "has  overcome  the  world."  If  we  fear  the 
treachery  of  our  own  deceitful  hearts,  let  us  put  those  hearts  into 
the  hands  of  Jesus ;  he  shall  turn  them  "  as  the  river  of  water, 
whithersoever  he  will."  Nor  is  he  only  thus  strong  to  defend  us, 
but  rich  to  supply  our  need.  If  we  want  repentance,  Jesus  is  ex- 
alted to  give  repentance.  If  we  want  faith,  "  it  is  given  us  on  the 
behalf  of  Christ  to  believe. "*  If  we  want  holiness,  "  Jesus  is  made 
of  God  sanctification  unto  us."^  If  we  want  peace,  "  the  peace  of 
God  shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus."''  In 
short — ^let  our  sins,  our  fears,  and  wants  be  ever  so  great,  they  need 
not  drive  us  to  despair,  as  long  as  Jesus  lives  and  "  is  able  to  save 
to  the  uttermost."  We  are  complete  in  him.  Well  then  might 
David  say,  "  They  that  know  thy  tiarne  will  put  their  trust  in 
thee  ;"^  well  might  Solomon  say — "Thy  name  is  as  ointment 
poured  forth  ;"9  and  Isaiah — "His  name  shall  be  called  Wonder- 
ful."'" But,  my  dear  friend,  we  have  an  interest  in  this  precious 
name ;  7ve  may  draw  near  to  the  Father  of  mercies  in  this  name, 
and  he  will  deny  us  notliing.^^  Then  shall  we  give  way  to  gloomy 
doubts  and  forebodings  any  more?  Alas!  I  know  how  little  all 
these  reflections  weigh  with  us,  unless  the  Spirit  of  God  bring  thena 
home  with  light  and  power  to  our  hearts.     Even  while  I  am  talk- 

1  Philippians  iv.  13.  2  Col.  ii.  9,  10.  3  Provprbs  viii.  10. 

<  Psalm  cxix.  114.  *  Phil.  i.  29.  6  i  Cor.  i.  3J. 

1  Phil.  iv.  7.  8  Psalmix.  10.  s  Can.  i.  3. 

10  Isaiah  ix.  6.  »'  John  xvi.  23,  24. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  63 

ing  to  you,  my  own  heart  is  so  little  affected,  tliat  I  am  ashamed 
to  go  on  ;   but  I  speak  rather  as  I  would  feel,  than  as  1  do  feel.' 

The  above  statements  of  Divine  truth  will  be  generally  admitted 
to  be  of  a  scriptural  and  decided  character.  Her  exhibition  of  the 
humbling  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  brings  no  occasion  for  despond- 
ency ;  while  it  commends  to  the  awakened  sinner  the  simple  glory 
of  a  free  salvation.  Nor  does  her  view  of  gratuitous  acceptance 
lose  a  particle  of  its  evangelical  clearness  by  the  connected  display 
of  its  fruitfulness.  The  man  thoroughly  humbled  by  the  doctrines 
of  the  grace  of  God,  will  delight  in  holiness  as  the  track  of  com- 
munion with  his  God,  and  the  pathway  to  heaven  ;  while  his 
sense  of  continued  defilement  will  preserve  him  from  self-righteous- 
ness, deepen  his  self-abasement,  and  establish  his  faith  in  the  sim- 
plicity of  Christ. 

Her  connected  apprehensions  of  what  are  called  the  higher  doc- 
trines of  the  Gospel  with  the  whole  system,  are  well  stated  by  the 
beloved  brother,  whose  high  privilege  it  was  to  attend  her  during 
her  last  illness. 

'  She  had  received' — he  observes — '  the  Gospel  as  a  dispensation 
of  pure  grace.  She  delighted  to  speak  in  a  holy  ?naniier  of  God's 
electing  love.  She  "  knew  her  election,'"  and  rejoiced  in  a  sense  of 
her  high  privilege.  The  reception  of  this  blessed  doctrine  produced 
in  her  soul  deep  JinmiUty,  gratitude,  and  love.  She  well  knew, 
that  it  was  God  "  who  had  ntade  her  to  differ"^  from  a  "  world  that 
lieth  in  wickedness;"  and  she  could  say  from  her  heart, — "Not 
unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory,  for 
thy  mercy  and  for  thy  truth's  sake."^  She  was  so  deeply  con- 
vinced from  the  word  of  God,  from  all  around  her,  and  from  her 
own  heart,  of  the  deep  depravity  of  human  nature,  of  the  utter 
helplessness  of  man,  to  do,  think,  or  say  anything  that  is  spiritually 
good,  that  she  saw  no  other  method,  whereby  a  sinful  creature 
could  be  saved,  but  from  the  combined  offices  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
— from  the  election  of  the  Father,,  the  redemption  of  the  Son,  and 
the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit.' 

A  single  extract  from  her  publication  will  fully  corroborate  this 
testimony.  The  beauty  of  her  language  will  justify  the  length  of 
the  quotation. 

'Thus  it  is,  that  while  the  doctrine  of  predestination  is  death  to 
those  who  weary  themselves  in  presumptuous  disputings  and  rea- 
sonings about  it ;  there  always  have  been  and  will  be  a  happy  few, 
who,  humbly  and  sincerely  feeding  upon  it,  receiving  all  that  the 
Scripture  tells  them  concerning  it,  and  desiring  to  know  no  further, 
find  it  health  and  peace  to  their  souls.  It  lays  them  very  low  at 
the  feet  of  their  Redeemer ;  brings  down  the  high  swelling  of  their 
pride  and  self-esteem,  pulls  away  from  under  them  all  those  broken 
reeds  upon  which  they  had  been  used  to  lean,  self-righteousness, 

1  Thess.  i.  4.  2  1  Cor.  iv.  7.  ^  Psalm  ex  v.  1. 


ig*  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

self-will,  self-dependence ;  and  leaves  to  them  no  one  prop  on  which 
to  lean  for  support,  whilst  "coming  up  out  of  this  wilderness,"  but 
"the  arm  of  their  Beloved" — that  everlasting  arm  which  will  surely 
conduci  them  to  glory.  When  tliat  arm  becomes  shortened  that  it 
cannot  save,  or  weak  that  it  cannot  support;  when  the  arm  of 
Jesus  fails  and  is  weary;  tlien  they  will  begin  to  look  around  for 
some  other  stay  ;  but  not  till  then.  Or  when  they  can  discover  in 
themselves  one  single  good  thing  which  Jesus  did  not  put  there ; 
one  reason  why  he  should  visit  them  witli  such  amazing  love  ;  then 
they  will  conclude  that  his  love  took  its  rise  from  theirs:  not  theirs 
from  His.  But  they  never  will  discover  one  such  thing  ;  so  long  as 
the  Spirit  of  God  illumines  their  heart,  and  brings  to  light  its  im- 
mense depravity  and  worthlessness.  Therefore  as  God's  love  could 
not  have  been  excited  by  anything  in  them,  they  believe  it  to  be 
an  eternal  love :  that  they  were  called  in  time,  because  they  were 
chosen  from  eternity ;  and  that  the  name  of  Jesus  is  now  engraved 
as  a  seal  upon  their  hearts,  because  their  names  were  written  on 
his  heart  before  ever  the  world  was.  And  when  their  thoughts 
stretch  forward  to  the  end  of  this  pilgrimage,  and  they  rejoice  in  the 
view  of  the  mansions  prepared  for  them  in  their  Father's  house,  the 
crown  of  that  rejoicing  is  this — •'  We  got  not  the  land  in  possession 
by  our  own  strength,  neither  did  our  own  arm  save  lis ;  but  thy 
right  hand,  and  thine  arm,  and  the  light  of  thy  countenance,  he- 
cause  thou  kadst  a  favor  unto  iis^^  "Thus  they  rejoice  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh  ;"  for  "God  is  the  glory 
of  tlieir  strength  ;  and  in  his  favor  their  horn  is  exalied.'"*^ 

^  I  cannot  pretend  to  meet  the  objections,  or  to  refute  the  cavils 
commonly  raised,  when  this  doctrine  of  election  is  made  the  subject 
of  discussion  ;  for  I  did  not  learn  it  in  the  way  of  carnal  reasonings, 
but  by  simply  taking  the  Scriptures  as  I  found  them,  and  as  the 
Spirit  of  God  enabled  nie  to  receive  them.  If  St.  Paul,  after  descant- 
ing on  this  subject,  breaks  otFin  an  ecstasy  of  admiration,  exclaim- 
ing— "  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out!'"^ — w^e  need  not  wonder  if  our  shallow  understandings 
are  incapable  of  fathoming,  our  limited  capacities  of  comprehend- 
ing, our  low  minds  of  reaching  them.  We  must  be  satisfied  with 
believing  that  it  is  even  so,  because  so  it  seemed  good  in  our 
Father's  sight,^  whatever  it  may  appear  in  ours.  This  reason, 
which  appeared  satisfactory  to  our  Saviour,  may  surely  satisfy  us; 
or  if  not,  he  has  vouchsafed  an  assurance,  which  may  well  serve  to 
repress  present  inquiry  into  things  (oo  high  for  us—"  What  I  do, 
thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter.''^ 

'That  these  things  are  so,  I  believe,  because  I  find  them  among 
the  "  revealed  things  which  belong  to  us  and  our  children  forever." 
How  or  why  they  are  so,  I  desire  not  too  closely  to  inquire,  lest  I 
should  intrude  into  the  "secret  things,  which  belong  unto  the  Lord 

1  Psalm  xliv.  3.  2  phil.  iii.  3.     Psahn  Ixxxix.  17.  ^  Rom.  xi.  33. 

*  Matt.  xi.  29.  ^  John  xiii.  7. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  65 

our  God.'"  O  that  he  would  give  unto  every  one  of  us  that  humble 
and  teachable  spirit,  with  which  a  little  ignorant  child  is  content  to 
receive  his  father's  lessons,  without  rudely  commenting  upon  his 
father's  ways,  or  rashly  intruding  into  his  father's  secrets  !  This 
one  thing  we  know  ;  and  with  this  we  may  be  satisfied  ;  that  "  the 
Judge  oif  all  the  earth  cannot  but  do  right.""^  But  it  were  prepos- 
terous to  expect  that  he  should  always  do  that  which  is  right  in 
our  eyes,  so  long  as  our  notions  of  right  and  wrong  are  so  utterly 
confused  and  perverted  as  they  have  been  ever  since  the  fall.  He 
himself  tells  us  that  "  the  Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth  :"  and  that 
"that  which  is  highly  esteemed  among  men  is  abomination  in  the 
sight  of  God."^  It  cannot  be,  so  long  as  "  his  ways  are  equal,  and 
ours  unequal,"^  that  his  righteous  dealings  should  be  in  exact  ac- 
cordance with  our  unrighteous  views  and  sentiments.  Instead  then 
of  wearying  ourselves  with  impotent  attempts  to  bring  down  his 
will  and  counsel  to  the  level  of  our  ideas,  our  far  wiser  way  will  be 
to  submit  our  thoughts  and  ideas  to  his  will,  assured  that  it  is  holy, 
iust,  and  good.'*  She  then  proceeds  to  defend  the  doctrine  at  some 
length,  and  with  considerable  ability,  from  the  usual  objections  of 
charging  God  with  injustice,  and  of  encouraging  licentiousness, 
arrogance,  and  despondency  in  man. 

The  Writer  is  glad  to  find  that  this  large  extent  of  quotation,  with 
which  he  has  indulged  himself,  has  in  some  means  been  effectual 
to  introduce  Miss  Graham's  work  from  the  comparative  obscurity 
of  an  anonymous  publication,  into  that  more  general  acceptance, 
which  in  his  own,  and,  he  presumes  he  may  add,  in  his  reader's 
judgment,  it  well  deserves.  It  would  be  too  much  to  anticipate  a 
universal  concurrence  in  all  her  statements.  Yet  from  the  peculiar 
unction*  and  richness  of  her  theology,  and  its  entire  freedom  from 
speculation  and  controversy,  they  cannot  be  read  by  the  serious 
reader  without  spiritual  profit.  The  more  mysterious  doctrines  (as 
will  be  seen  from  the  last  quotation)  are  handled  in  a  holy,  practi- 
cal spirit,  eminently  calculated  to  soften  prejudice,  to  prostrate  the 
soul  in  humble  thankfulness,  and  to  enlarge  the  Christian's  joy  in 
God.  It  is  indeed  one  of  the  many  painful  results  from  the  harsh, 
crude,  and  abstract  statements  too  often  given  of  these  doctrines; 
tliat  they  have  contributed  unjustly  to  discredit  the  more  sober 
Scriptural  declarations,  which,  when  cast,  like  IMiss  Graham's,  into 
the  mould  of  our  Seventeenth  Article,  are  justly  pronounced  by  our 
Church  to  be  'full  of  sweet,  pleasant,  and  unspeakable  comfort  to 
godly  persons.' 

On  such  deep  and  humbling  subjects,  the  Writer  would  not  pre- 
sume to  set  up  his  judgment  as  the  rule  of  faith  for  the  Church, 
Yet  he  has  felt  a  caution  necessary  for  his  own  mind,  which  he 
ventures  therefore  to  suggest  to  his  brethren.     Let  us  take  care  lest 

1  Deut.  xxix.  29.  2  Qen.  xviii.  25.  3  1  Sam.  xvi.  7.     Luke  xvi.  15. 

i  Ezek.  xviii.  25.  s  Pp.    45—47. 

6  Tlie  term  is  u.sed  according  to  Dr.  Johnson's  beautiful  definition — '  That  which  melts 
to  devotion.' 

5 


^3BS  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

the  irreconcilableness  of  these  doctrines  with  our  apprehensions  of 
the  Divine  character,  rather  than  a  defect  of  their  Sciiptural  evi- 
dence, should  influence  our  rejection  of  them.  Is  there  no  danger, 
lest  a  predisposing  bias  in  the  search  for  this  evidence,  should  ob- 
scure that  singleness  of  eye,  which  is  the  only  medium  for  the  re- 
ception of'heavenly  liglit  ?'  The  admission  of  these  doctrines,  in- 
deed, as  the  result  of  disputation  or  argument,  could  only  issue  in  a 
fearful  proportion  of  that  "  knowledge  which  puffeth  up,"  combined 
with  a  total  absence  of  the  "  love  tliat  edilieth."^  But  the  child  like 
reception  of  them  as  revealed  in  the  Holy  !Scriptures,  will  be,  (as 
we  have  just  hinted,)  eminently  fruitful  in  humiUation,  love,  privi- 
lege, and  devotedness.  After  all,  however,  we  must  remember — 
"A  man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven."^ 
This  sacred  aphorism  lays  the  whole  substantial  basis  of  the  true 
faith  of  the  Gospel;  while  the  light  reflected  upon  the  steady  course 
of  Christian  consistency,^  though  it  will  not  clear  up  every  difficulty, 
will  enlarge  our  discovery  of  the  Divine  Goodness  to  man,  and  as- 
sure to  our  minds  the  unchangeableness  of  God,  as  the  ground  of 
that  "  strong  consolation,"  which  "  the  heirs  of  promise"  are  fully 
warranted  to  enjoy .^ 

II.    ON    SUBJECTS    OF    THEOLOGICAL    DISCUSSION. 

The  first  question  is  closely  connected  with  some  of  the  subjects 
of  the  last  Section.  It  states  her  views  of  the  consistency  of  con- 
ditional promises  with  a  free  salvation. 

'As  to  the  promises' — Miss  Graham  observes — ^' I  do  not  say  that 
they  are  unconditional  either ;  but  I  do  say,  that  the  conditions  on 
which  they  depend  are  such  as  guilty  man  is  altogether  incapable 
of  performing.  I  do  say  that  Jesus  as  our  Surety,  has  performed 
all  these  for  us,  and  by  hi^  iSpirit  will  perform  them  all  in  us. 
Through  his  perfect  atonement  we  escape  the  threatenings  ;  through 
his  unspotted  obedience  we  become  "heirs  of  the  promises" — heirs 
of  eternal  life.  For  if  the  blame  of  our  sins  has  been  imputed  to 
Him,  then  has  the  merit  of  His  righteousness  been  imputed  to  lis. 
"If  he  has  been  made  sin  for  us,  then  have  we  been  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him."«  And  because  the  promises  are  ours 
for  his  sake,  therefore  the  conditions  of  them  are  worked  in  us  by 
his  free  Spirit ;  "  for  it  is  not  we  who  live  the  life  of  faith,  but  Christ 
that  livelh  in  us.'"' 

'One  of  the  sweetest  promises,  upon  which  the  mind  of  every 
Christian  rests  with  unspeakable  delight,  runs  thus:  "Him  that 
Cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."^  Here  is  a  condition, 
"Him  that  cometh  ;"  and  a.  promise — "I  will  not  cast  out."  But 
who  are  those  that  come  to  Jesus'?     "All  that  the  Father  giveth 

J  Matthew  vi.  22,  23.  2  1  Cor.  viii.  1.  3  John  iii.  27. 

4  Ibid.  vii.  UJ,  17.  5  Hcb.  vi.  17.  18. 

6  2  Cor.  V.  21.     Romans  iv.  6;  v.  19.     Galalians  iii.  29. 

7  Gulatians  ii.  20.     John  xv.  4,  5.  8  John  vi,  37. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  67 

me  shall  come  to  me."  '•  No  man  can  come  to  me,  except  the 
Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him."  "  No  man  can  come  to 
me,  except  it  were  given  to  him  of  my  Father.'"  How  distinctly 
are  we  iiere  told,  that  the  same  free  mercy,  which  promises  to  re- 
ceive us  wlien  we  come,  must  he  put  forth  to  make  us  co?ne  ;  or  we 
never  should  come  !  The  promise  will  surely  be  fulfilled  to  all  who 
obey  the  condition :  but  none  can  obey  the  condition,  save  those 
to  whom  it  is  given.' 

'  Every  condition  necessary  to  salvation,'  she  remarks, '  is  fulfilled 
in  us,  not  by  any  efforts  of  our  own,  but  by  our  '•  receiving"  con- 
tinually "grace  for  grace  out  of  the  fulness  of  Jesus."'  In  confir- 
mation of  lier  argument,  she  adduces  the  Christian  graces  (repent- 
ance, faith,  love,)  as  required  of  ns,  but  yet  wrought  in  us.  Thus 
she  concludes  this  discussion — '  The  great  question,  then,  about  the 
promises  seems  (o  be,  not  so  much  whether  they  are  conditional,  as 
whether  God  looks  to  Christ,  or  to  us,  for  the  performance  of  those 
conditions.  If  to  Christ,  the  burden  is  laid  upon  "one  that  is 
mighty :''"'  if  to  us,  then  we  are  undone:  'for  the  condition  of  man 
after  the  fall  is  such,  that  he  cannot  turn  and  prepare  himself 
by  his  own  natural  strength  and  good  works,  to  faith  and  calhng 
upon  God  :  wherefore  we  have  no  power  to  do  good  works  pleasant 
and  acceptable  to  God,  without  the  grace  of  God  by  Christ  prevent- 
ing us,  that  we  may  have  a  good  loill,  and  working  with  us  when 
we  have  that  good  will."'^ 

The  statement  is  confessedly  strong  and  uncompromising ;  yet 
it  is,  in  the  writer's  appreliension,  neither  unguarded,  unscriptural, 
or  discouraging.  It  assumes  with  our  church  the  scriptural  point 
9iot  of  the  weakness  but  of  the  titter  helplessness  of  man.^  It 
connects  the  freeness  of  the  Gospel  with  the  sovereign  purpose  and 
Almighty  grace  of  God.<  Thus  man  and  God  are  each  in  his 
proper  place;  man  in  the  dust — God  on  the  throne.  The  humble 
and  intelligent  believer  will  acknowledge  of  every  act  of  faith  and 
obedience  to  the  end  of  his  course — "  Thou  also  hast  wrought  all 
our  trorks  in  us.^^^  Nor  will  he  hesitate  to  trace  all  these  works  to 
the  ^^ good  pleasure'^  of  his  God  as  the  first  cause.* 

The  opposite  statement  may  be  easily  proved  to  be  most  dis- 
couraging. The  free  invitations  of  the  Gospel  are  unconnected 
with  an  entire  dependence  upon  Divine  grace  to  enable  the  sinner 
to  accept  them.  Conscious  inability  is  therefore  left  without  any 
power  to  act  upon  it.  The  sinner  is  either  blinded  in  self-delusion, 
or  hardened  in  despondency.  On  the  other  hand,  his  helplessness 
is  taught  to  depend  upon  the  sovereign  pleasure  of  a  God  of  love  ; 
and  he  "  works  out  his  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling"  indeed, 
but  with  confident  hope  of  perseverance.''^ 

>  .Tohn.  vi.  37,  44,  65.  2  Art.  X.     Freeness  of  Grace,  pp.  2S— 30,  33—36,  37. 

3  See  Article  X,  and  the  multiplied  testimonies  from  her  Collects  and  other  parts  of 
our  Evangelical  services.     Compare  John  xv.  5.     Ephesians  ii.  1. 
*  Compare  John  vi.  37,  with  44,  65.  ^  Isaiah  xxvi.  12. 

«  Philippians  ii.  13.  ^  Ibid.  ii.  12,  13. 


§8  MEMOIR    OF    MARV    JANE    GRAHAM. 

The  uiisciiptural  use  of  the  term  condition  with  many  theologians 
— as  if  man  could  of  himself  perform  tlie  work  of  his  salvation — 
has  brought  it  into  unmerited  disrepute.  Yet  in  Miss  Graham's 
view,  conditional  promises  uUimately  resolve  themselves  into  abso- 
lute unconditional  love.  The  duties  of  Christian  obedience — ^the  di- 
vinely appointed  means  of  enjoying  the  promises — do  not  depend 
upon  anything  to  be  fulfilled  by  us.  They  constitute  a  part  of  the 
engagements  of  the  evangelical  covenant,  by  which  the  Lord  ful- 
fils the  demands  of  his  law,  by  the  Almighty  power  of  his  grace.* 
Miss  Graham  with  many  excellent  men  would  altogether  abolish 
the  use  of  the  term,  at  least  as  applied  to  us.  But  it  has  been  al- 
lowed by  many  of  our  most  orthodox  divines,^  whose  statements 
cannot  justly  be  accused  of  infringing  upon  the  freeness  of  the 
Gospel.  It  would  be  difficult  to  substitute  any  other  theological 
term,  that  would  express  the  sense  of  many  important  declarations^ 
of  Scripture  with  equal  precision  and  appropriateness.  Let  it  be 
understood  to  imply — not  what  is  meritorious,  but  what  is  necessary 
to  the  economy  of  the  Gospel — not  an  efficient  cause,  but  an  indis- 
pensable requisite.  Is  it  not  then  needless  scrupulosity  to  exchange 
a  convenient  term  of  explication  for  feeble  circumlocution?  And 
may  there  not  be  some  danger,  lest  in  our  anxiety  to  preserve  the 
freeness  of  scriptural  statement,  we  unconsciously  become  fettered 
in  the  bonds  of  human  systems  ? 

Her  letter  upon  the  nature  and  degree  of  explicit  faith  neces- 
sary for  acceptance  ivith  God  is  highly  interesting. 

'  The  question  you  propose  about  prayer,  does  not  appear  to  me 
to  admit  of  a  doubt.  '  Ought  there  not  to  be  in  every  prayer  a 
reference  to  the  intercession  of  Christ?  Will  the  earnestness  and 
siyicerity  of  a  prayer  avail  without  it?'  Doubtless,  my  dearest 
friend,  there  ought  to  be  this  reference  :  nor  can  a  believer  in  Jesus 
imagine  a  prayer  without  it.  But  when  an  unbeliever  first  begins 
to  long  after  the  knowledge  of  God,  the  intercession  of  Christ  may 
be  a  part  of  this  knowledge,  respecting  which  he  is  in  utter  dark- 
ness. Shall  the  earnest  and  sincere  petition  which  he  offers  under 
such  circumstances  be  disregarded?  Is  not  the  intercession  of 
Christ  going  on  for  him  as  surely  as  if  he  knew  of  it;  and  is  not 
this  poor  ignorant  prayer  the  first-fruits  of  this  intercession  ?  And 
will  not  the  Father  accept  it  for  the  sake  of  his  beloved  Son,  though 
the  sinner  as  yet  knows  not  how  to  offer  it  in  his  name?  Certain 
I  am,  that  the  person  who  thus  begins  to  seek  after  the  Lord  with 
his  whole  heart,  will  ere  long  have  .lesus  revealed  in  his  soul ;  and 
then  he  will  seek  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  The  most  signal  answer 
I  ever  received  to  prayer,  was  at  a  time,  when  I  was  so  bewildered 
in  the  labyrinth  of  infidelity,  ihat  I  actually  should  have  feared  to 
have  been  guilty  of  blaspliemy,  had  I  prayed  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 

*  Hebrews  viii.  10.  Thus  in  Matthew  vi.  14,  15,  by  his  law  he  requires  a  forgiving 
temper  ;  by  his  ffrace  he  imparts  it.  2  Calvin,  Owen,  &c. 

»  Such  as  Matthew  vi.  14,  15.     Luke  xiii.  3,  5.     Col.  i.  21—23.     Heb.  iii.  6,  14. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  69 

In  sincerity  and  earnestness  I  prayed  to  be  taught  whether  Jesus 
Christ  was  an  impostor  or  not ;  and  for  the  sake  of  that  precious 
Saviour,  whom  I  thus  insultingly  doubted,  my  prayer  was  an- 
swered.' 

'But  our  experience  is  of  little  value,  unless  it  agrees  with  Scrip- 
ture. I  think  the  Bible  is  very  clear  upon  this  head,  and  there- 
fore I  venture  to  speak  so  confidently.  I  will  mention  two  or  three 
texts  :  •'  He  that  coineth  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that 
he  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that  diU^ently  seek  hiniy^  Is  not  this 
a  description  of  the  degree  of  faith  and  knowledge,  which  is  neces- 
sary before  a  person  can  come  and  pray  to  God  in  an  acceptable 
manner'/  And  is  not  this  the  sum  of  it,  that  he  must  believe  (hat 
there  is  a  God,  and  that,  if  he  diligently  seeks  this  God,  he  shall  be 
rewarded  by  finding  the  object  of  his  search  ?  There  is  not  a  word 
about — '  He  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe  and  pray  through  the 
intercession  of  Christ ;'  though  no  doubt  the  person  who  believes  so 
far  as  is  mentioned  in  the  text,  will  soon  believe  God  in  Christ,  as 
he  is  revealed  in  the  Gospel.  So  then,  if  a  Pagan  or  Mahomedan 
in  the  darkest  corner  of  the  earth,  or  an  infidel  in  this  country, 
were  to  begin  to  seek  God  diligently,  from  the  mere  "  belief  that  he 
is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  him," 
upon  the  warrant  of  this  text  I  should  have  no  doubt  of  his  accept- 
ance.' Again,  "  If  any  man  will  {or  wishes  to)  do  the  will  of  God, 
he  shall  knoio  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  tchether  I 
speak  of  myself''^  Here  is  the  case  supposed  of  a  man,  who,  so 
far  from  praying  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  is  not  yet  convinced  whether 
his  doctrines  are  divine,  or  whether  he  is  a  mere  pretender,  "  speak- 
ing- of  himself.''''  What  then  is,  the  preparation  required?  He 
wishes  to  do  the  will  of  God.  He  would  gladly  worship  God 
aright,  and  submit  to  his  will  in  all  things.  Yet  he  cannot  pray 
at  first  with  any  reference  to  the  intercession  of  Jesus.  For  he 
would  think  it  sinful  to  do  so,  as  long  as  he  knows  not  "whether 
the  doctrine  be  of  God,  or  whether  Jesus  Christ  spake  of  himself." 
Yet  this  man — we  have  the  word  of  Jesus  for  it — "  shall  know  of 

•  See  her  own  interesting  description  of  this  state  of  mind,  chap  ii. 

2  Hebrews  xi.  6. 

3  This  text  may,  doubtless,  be  accommodated  for  intelligent  and  warranted  encourage- 
ment in  the  case  here  presented  to  us.  Yet  it  may  be  questioned  whether  Miss  Gra- 
ham's exposition  includes  the  whole  substance  of  the  Apostle's  mind.  The  faith  of  Cain 
in  bringing  his  offering  probably  admitted  the  naked  belief  of  the  existence  of  God,  and  of 
his  bounty  to  those  that  incjuired  after  him.  The  Apostle's  definition  however  stands  in 
immediate  connection  with  the  faith  of  Abel  and  Enoch,  (ver.  4,  5,)  which  implied  access 
to  God,  and  communion  with  him  through  an  acceptable  medium.  Indeed  the  true  faith 
in  God's  existence  seems  necessarily  to  suppose  some  relation  to  him.  See  Gen.  xvii.  1. 
Exod.  iii.  14.  The  very  expectation  of  reward  to  sinners  deserviiigcondcmnation,  must, 
in  a  righteous  government,  be  grounded  upon  some  apprehension,  however  obscure,  of  a 
way  of  favorable  acceptance.  The  desire  and  act  of  seeking  also  supposes  some  rule  to 
direct  our  path  and  warrant  our  hope — a  rule  founded  upon  some  new  relation  between 
God  and  his  creatures,  by  which  merited  judgment  is  averted,  and  "mercy  rejoiceth 
against  judfrment." 

*  John  vii.  17.  Doddridge  remarks  on  Acts  x.  34,  35,  a  somewhat  parallel  text — 'I 
think  this  text  proves,  that  God  would  sooner  send  an  angel  to  direct  pious  and  upright 
persons  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  than  suffer  them  to  perish  by  ignorance  of  it. 


7®-  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

the  doctrine.'^  Consider  also  the  free  and  general  promise  of  Christ, 
that  "  our  heavenly  Father  will  give  the  Holy  Ghost  to  them  that 
ask  him."'  Suppose  yourself  to  have  been  in  the  state  of  mind  of 
the  text  just  mentioned,  and  to  have  heard  this  gracious  promise. 
Would  you  have  any  thought  of  any  intercession — ^of  anytliing  be- 
yond asking  7  And  you  would  probably  have  asked — '  O  my  hea- 
venly Father,  give  thy  Spirit  to  teach  me  whether  this  man  is  sent 
by  thee,  or  whether  he  speaks  of  himself.''  Suppose  for  a  moment 
(God  forbid  that  any  one  should  suppose  it  in  reality  !)  that,  after 
after  having  offered  this  prayer  sincerely,  earnestly,  perseveringly, 
you  were  at  last  suffered  to  perish  for  lack  of  knowledge  ;  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  which  you  asked  was  not  given,  because  you  asked 
it  not,  (and  how  could  you  ?)  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  the  promise 
would  seem  to  carry  with  it  a  want  of  sincerity,  as  having  a  con- 
dition attached  to  it,  which  was  concealed  from  you,  and  lohich  the 
very  nature  of  your  petition  incapacitated  you  from  performing., 
until  further  knowledge  was  given.  I  believe,  that,  when  Christ 
said — "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you,"'^  he  meant  what  he  said, 
in  the  literal  sense  of  the  word. 

'  It  is  remarkable,  that  asking  in  the  name  of  Christ,  was  a  doctrine 
not  revealed  to  the  disciples,  till  shortly  before  his  death,  though 
they  must  often  have  prayed  before,  and  that  with   acceptance. 
The  Lord's  Prayer  also  contains  no  express  reference  to  this  doctrine, 
though  doubtless  every  Christian  in  his  heart,  offers  it  in  the  one 
name,  through   which   he  looks  for  acceptance.     Let  us  take  the 
text  above  mentioned,  to  an  assembly  of  Indians.     Let  us  say  to 
them — '  You   know  not  what  to  think  of  our  doctrine  concerning 
Jesus.     You  would  take  him  for  your  Lord  and  your  God,  if  you 
were  sure  that  all  we  say  about  him  is  true.     We  will  tell  yoa 
how  to  find  this  out.     There  is  a  promise  in  the  book,  out  of  which 
we  preach  to  you,  that  God  "  will  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that 
ask  him."     The  Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  teach  you  about  Jesus.     If 
you  will  ask  for  this  teaching,  you  shall  have  it ;  and  then  you 
shall  know  what  to  think  of  our  doctrine.'     They  ask.     In  the 
name  of  .Tesus  they  cannot  ask.     For  the  very  point  in  question, 
the  very  thing  which  they  ask  God  to  teach  them  is,  whether  the 
name  of  Jesus  is  of  any  avail  or  not.     They  are  impelled  to  ask  by 
a  "belief  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  them 
that  diligently  seek  him."     Will  the  promise  be  made  good  to  them 
or  not?     Or  will  this  failing  to  pray  in  a  manner  in  wdiich  they  do 
not  believe  (that  is — to  act  contrary  to  the  reason,  which  God  him- 
self has  lighted  up  within  them)  annul  the  engagement,  by  which 
God  has  bound  himself,  that  all  that  ask  should  have?      Oh!  no. 
This  is  prayer;  and  it  is  praying  with  precisely  that  degree  of 
"  faith,  without  which  it  is  impossible  to  please  God."     "  To  every 
one  that  hath  thus  much  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall  have  abun- 
dance"3 — he  shall  be  rich  in  faith.     And  this  is  as  true  to  my  mind, 

»  Luke  xi.  13.  2  ibid.  v.  9.  3  Matthew  xxv.  29. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  "Jff 

as  clear  as  any  of  the  promises  of  God  can  be.  You  say — '  Must 
faith  be  acting  at  the  time?'  I  think  the  degree  of  faith  mentioned 
in  Heb.  xi.  6,  must.  Yet  even  this,  we  know,  may  be  a  trembUng 
faith,  such  as — "  If  thou  canst  do  ainjthhig — Lord,  I  beheve  : 
lielp  thou  mine  unbelief.'"  But  "the  day  of  small  things,"^  the 
first  prayers  of  a  hitherto  unbelieving  sinner  have  something  in 
them  unspeakably  iiueresting.  And  it  is  so  delightful  to  feel,  that 
the  very  least  of  the  "  small  things"  comes  from  God,  and  implies 
pardon  and  heaven,  and  all  those  great  things,  which  "  eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard. "^  that  we  cannot  dwell  upon  them  without 
transport.  This  is  that  "  faith,  which  is  as  a  grain  of  mustard- 
seed."^  Wrapped  within  its  minute,  dry,  and  unsightly  husk  is  the 
embryo  of  the  future  tree,  which  shall  expand  and  "flourish  in  the 
courts  of  our  God."  Oh  !  what  a  God  of  wonders  !  As  we  cannot 
look  into  the  hearts  of  others,  it  is  hard  to  know  when  the  prayer 
is  earnest  and  sincere.  But  if  we  could  discern  this,  we  might 
look  at  such  a  prayer  with  the  same  confident  assurance  that 
showers  of  blessings  would  follow  it,  as  Elijah  knew  that  there 
would  be  "abundance  of  rain,"  though  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  but  a  little  cloud  like  a  man's  hand.'^ 

This  letter  involves  a  question  of  much  interest  and  no  small 
difficulty.  Miss  Graham's  sympathy  with  the  case  supposed 
enabled  her  to  fix  a  conscious  grasp  upon  the  subject,  and  to  speak 
directly  to  the  point  with  much  force  and  clearness.  The  instance 
of  the  penitent  Ninevites,^  ignorant  of  Ike  medium  of  acceptance^ 
might  have  been  added  to  her  Scripture  illustrations  of  the  argu- 
ment. And  we  can  scarcely  doubt  that  the  cry  to  a  Supreme 
Being — '  Ens  ent'uwi,  miserere  meV'' — "  seeking  the  Lord,  if  haply 
they  might  feel  after  him,  and  find  him"^ — may  have  proved  the 
first  dawn  of  light  and  love  to  some  awakened  consciences  in  a 
benighted  world. 

No  other  way  to  God  than  by  Christ^  is  here  supposed,  though 
an  unco7iscions  approach  through  him  is  admitted.  For  ourselves, 
however,  who  have  been  made  acquainted  with  his  precious  name, 
no  obligation  is  more  important,  no  privilege  more  delightful,  than 
the  constant  dependence  upon  it  in  every  step  of  access  to  God.  It 
covers  all  guilt,  defilement,  ignorance,  and  infirmities.  It  assures 
our  confidence  in  the  presence  of  a  God  of  inflexible  justice  and 
unspotted  holiness.  Our  persons  and  services,  in  themselves  most 
unsuited  to  his  awful  majesty,  are  presented  through  this  medium, 
clothed  with  Divine  beauty,  and  commended  in  his  sight  as  ."  a 
sweet-smelling  savor."  A  clear  knowledge  of  the  person  of  Christ 
is  therefore  necessary  as  the  basis  of  Christian  confidence.  The 
exercise  of  this  confidence  will  be — not  to  apprehend  him  separately 

»  Mark  ix.  22,  24.  2  Zech.  iv.  10.  3  I  Cor.  ii.  9. 

<  Matt.  xvii.  20.  5  i  Kings  xviii.  44.  ^  Jonah  iii. 

">  '  Author  of  Being,  "have  pity;"  or  perhaps — "/tare  mtraj  on  me'' — coming  in  the 
character  of  a  sinner.' 
8  Acts  xvii.  37.  9  John  xiv.  6. 


•J^  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

either  as  God  or  man,  but  to  make  his  entire  person  the  object  of 
our  trust.  This  inteUigent  and  spiritual  worship  is  as  superior  to 
mere  external  service,  as  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God,  by  which  we 
are  brought  into  the  capacity  for  it,  is  to  the  vile  and  corruptible 
things  of  earth. 

The  question  under  consideration,  however,  requires  a  wise  mix- 
ture of  decision  and  forbearance  to  determine  its  precise  limits. 
While  insisting  upon  the  importance  of  a  clear  apprehension  of 
Divine  truth,  we  would  present  the  full  Scriptural  encouragement 
to  souls  emerging  out  of  darkness  with  a  simple  desire  to  know  the 
light ;  seeking  the  truth,  yet  knowing  not  where  to  find  it.  Let 
them  wait  in  the  twilight  for  the  dawning  day,  humbly,  prayerfully, 
earnestly.  Sincerity  in  the  diligent  and  persevering  habit  of  faith 
will  not  be  left  in  darkness.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, that  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  needful  for  every  act 
of  faith  and  prayer,  stands  in  ordinary  conjunction  with  revealed 
truth.'  Let  us  beware,  therefore,  lest  by  broad  statements  we  lose 
sight  of  the  great  fundamentals  of  the  Gospel,  and  forget  that  "  there 
is  none  other  name  than  Christ  under  heaven  given  among  men, 
whereby  we  must  be  saved,"  and  that  "  life  eternal"  consists  in  the 
knowledge  of  Him.*^  Let  us  also  carefully  connect  the  general 
promises  of  the  early  dispensation  of  the  Gospel  with  the  more  full 
and  clear  light  subsequently  vouchsafed.  The  direction  to  which 
Miss  Graham  refers— "Ask,  seek,  and  knock"— must  ever  be  linked 
with  the  name  of  Christ.  His  name  is  our  only  warrant  to  "  ask." 
Himself  is  the  only  way  to  '■  seek  :"  the  only  door  at  which  we  can 
"knock"  with  anv  well-grounded  hope  of  acceptance.^  In  the 
neglect  of  this  theology,  we  should  attempt  to  open  a  way  to  heaven 
without  "entering  in  by  the  door."  We  should  admit  the  unscrip- 
tural  supposition  of  pleasing  God  "  without  faith. "^  We  sliould 
endeavor  to  maintain  our  complete  acceptance  with  God  without 
the  continual  application  of  "the  blood  of  sprinkling."*  'Take 
heed'— said  the  excellent  Dr.  Owen—'  lest,  while  we  endeavor  to 
invent  new  ways  to  heaven  for  others,  by  so  doing  we  lose  the  true 
way  ourselves.'^ 

Miss  Graham's  discussion  of  the  subject,  in  connection  with  the 
experience  of  the  intelligent  Christian,  is  most  satisfactory  and  edi- 
fying. 

'  I  think  I  now  quite  understand  you  about  prayer.  My  reason 
for  speaking  of  the  beginnings  only  of  prayer  was,  that  1  thought 
no  confirmed  Christian  could  possibly  pray  without  a  reference  to 
the  mediation  of  Christ  Jesus.  But  your  observation,  that  we  may 
pray  without  immediatelij  referring  to  it,  or  even  thinking  directly 
of  it,  is  very  just,  as  in  the  case  you  inention  of  ejaculatory  prayer. 
But  I  would"  ask  you,  my  dearest  friend,  is  it  not  an  understood 

1  spe  Gal.  iii.  2.  ^  Acts  iv.  1'2.     John  xvii.  3.     1  John  v.  20. 

3  Matt.  vii.  7,  8,  with  John  xvi.  23,  24 ;  xiv.  0 ;  x.  9.  . 

«Heb.  xi.  6.  5  Heb.  x.  19    -22;xn.  24. 

«  Display  of  Araiinianism,  chap.  xi. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  73 

matter  between  us  and  our  heavenly  Father,  that  we  are  to  have 
all  things  in  the  name  of  Jesus?  Would  we,  if  we  could,  receive 
even  tlie  least  of  our  blessings  through  any  other  niedium?  Is  it 
not  the  very  joy  of  our  hearts  to  have  everything,  and  do  everything 
through  Christ;  to  believe  that  the  Father  loves  us  for  his  sake; 
accepts  us  in  him;  hears  our  prayers,  not  because  they  are  ours, 
but  because  he  offers  them  for  us  ?  And  is  this  fixed,  settled,  deep- 
rooted  feeling  less,  wlien  in  ejaculatory  prayer  there  is  no  immedi- 
ate reference  to  his  mediation,  than  in  our  larger  devotions,  when 
we  stop  to  make  out  our  title  more  fully,  and  to  dwell  upon  it  more 
largely?  It  is  delightful  and  profitable  to  do  this  ;  but  yet  I  think 
the  intention  of  our  hearts  is  the  same  in  both  cases.  If  you  were 
asked  after  one  of  these  short  prayers—'  How  do  you  expect  or  wish 
to  be  heard?'  would  you  not  reply — 'In  the  only  name  of  my  Be- 
loved !'  And  would  not  the  heaven  of  heavens  seem  less  desirable 
of  attainment,  if  by  any  possibility  we  could  possess  it  in  our  own 
name,  instead  of  the  security  of  Jesus  having  entered  before  us  and 
for  us  ?  I  hope  I  am  not  wrong,  and  I  am  sure  I  would  not  object 
to  repealing  as  often  as  possible  to  ourselves  and  toothers  our  entire 
reliance  upon  his  name.  But  I  think,  that  when  his  mediation  has 
become  the  very  life  and  food  of  our  souls,  we  need  not  torment 
ourselves  with  the  fear,  that  such  or  such  a  prayer  will  not  be  an- 
swered, because  I  did  not  think  of  making  formal  mention  of  the 
ground  on  which  I  asked.  Let  me  rather  say — '  God  knows  that 
I  would  not,  if  I  might,  have  it  answered  in  any  other  way.  He 
knows  what  I  mean  and  constantly  desire ;  and,  if  through  infir- 
mity, I  may  have  expressed  myself  amiss  or  deficiently,  infinite  love 
will  not  misunderstand  me.'  If  you  think  I  have  taken  a  wrong 
view,  tell  me,  my  dear  friend.  But  I  am  confirmed  in  it  by  this 
circumstance.  When  I  am  in  a  truly  spiritual  state,  the  mediation 
of  Christ  is  (as  it  were)  so  worked  up  into  my  being,  that  I  am  often 
(except  in  stated  prayers)  not  conscious  of  a  direct  reference  to  it  at 
one  time  more  than  at  another.  Yet  I  think  my  mind  never  loses 
the  idea.  It  is  perpetually  resting  upon  this  sure  anchor  of  hope. 
But  when  I  am  in  a  cold  and  careless  state,  (as  at  the  present  time) 
I  lean  upon  it  with  an  unstable  faith.  I  am  therefore  much  more 
often  conscious  of  a  direct  reference  to  it.  The  shortest  of  my 
prayers  have  a  sort  of  formality  about  them,  from  the  cold  repeated 
reference  of  the  name  of  my  Saviour.  I  do  not  know  whether  this 
is  your  case.  I  had  rather  have  the  thing  so  constantly  in  my 
heart,  that  I  scarcely  stop  explicitly  to  allude  to  it,  than  lose  the 
consciousness  of  it  so  often  (as  I  now  do)  that  I  am  obliged  to  re- 
mind myself  of  it,  in  order  to  plead  it  with  God.  But  I  think  that 
in  all  sincere  ejaculations  there  is  an  inward,  though  perhaps  almost 
unconscious,  feehng  of  repose  and  delight  in  his  name,  through  which 
alone  we  desire  to  have  acceptance  with  the  Father.  I  fear  I  have 
not  expressed  my  meaning  intelligibly,  I  have  sent,  as  you  desired, 
my  thoughts  without  reserve ;  though  I  know  too  little  of  the  spirit 


74  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

and  power  of  prayer  to  ciualif}^  me  to  give  my  sentiments  on  so  im- 
portant a  subject.' 

Tiie  following  letter  on  Prayer  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  evinces  much 
thought  and  spirituality. 

'  1  feel  very  incompetent  to  give  you  any  opinion  on  the  point 
you  mention  about  the  Holy  Spirit.  Yet  I  have  no  doubt  whatever 
in  my  own  mind,  that  it  is  both  right  and  desirable  to  pray  to  Him 
separately  and  distinctly.  I  should  be  very  much  afraid,  that  the 
contrary  opinion  would  gradually  tend  to  undermine  our  faith  in 
the  Personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  unless  indeed  it  is  meant  by 
this,  that  we  are  to  pray  to  the  Triune  God  only,  and  not  either 
to  the  Father,  the  Son,  or  the  Spirit,  considered  as  separate  persons. 
I  have  no  doubt,  as  you  say,  that  when  we  pray  to  the  Father,  we 
do  worship  this  Trinity  in  Unity  ;  and  perhaps  this  is  the  most 
proper  way  of  addressing  our  usual  petiiions.  But  it  appears  to 
me.  that  separate  addresses  are  permitted,  if  not  sanctioned  iu 
Scripture.  And  what  I  would  earnestly  contend  for,  (but  that  1 
fear  I  may  be  meddling  "  with  things  too  high  for  me,")  is  this — 
If  the  Father  and  the  Son  may  be  separately  addressed  ;  then,  not 
to  allow  of  a  separate  address  to  the  Spirit,  is  to  rob  him  in  some 
measure  of  his  equal  glory,  and  to  do  away  with  his  Personality. 
I  do  not  at  this  moment  recollect  any  direct  instances  of  prayer  to 
the  Holy  Gliost  in  the  Bible,  though  I  think  that  there  are  many 
in  which  he  would  appear  to  be  the  person  addressed.  But  if 
prayer  comprehend  adoration  and  thanksgiving,  we  often  address 
him  separately  in  the  Liturgy,  when  we  say — '  Glory  be  to  the 
Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,' — a  form  of  words, 
in  which  we  imitate  the  Seraphim  before  the  Throne,  who  cry — 
"  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts :  the  whole  earth  is  fidl  of 
His  glory."'  The  same  separate  act  of  worship  is  surely  implied 
when  the  four  beasts,  who  rest  not  day  and  night,  adore  the  Al- 
mighty, saying — "Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which 
was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come."^  Jesus  commanded  to  "  baptize  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Gliost."^ 
Here  again  a  separate  act  of  worship  seems  to  be  implied.  By 
baptizing  in  the  name  of  each  Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  dis- 
tinctly and  separately  repeated,  I  cannot  but  understand,  that  we 
separately  invoke  eacJi  of  them  to  perform  their  covenanted  part 
in  the  redemption  of  the  baptized  person.  But  I  think,  that  it  may 
at  once  decide  the  question,  that  we  are  said  to  be  '•  the  temple  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  f^  and  why  he  should  come  and  dwell  in  this  tem- 
ple, except  to  receive  our  acts  of  worship,  I  do  not  see.  Besides, 
all  his  oflices  invite  us  to  pray  to  him.  He  is  our  Comforter  f  and 
this  warrants  us  to  ask  him  for  comfort.  It  is  his  work  to  "shed 
abroad  the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts;"  to  cause  us  to  '-abound  in 
hope ;"  and  to  "  take  of  Christ's  and  show  to  us."^     But  surely  "  for 

1  Isaiali  vi.  3.  2  Rpy.  iv.  8.  3  Matt,  xxviii.  19. 

1  1  Cor.  iii.  Ifi;  vi.  10.  5  j;,hn  xiv.  16. 

*  Rom.  V.  5;  xv.  13.     John  xvi.  14,  15. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  75 

all  tliese  things  he  will  be  inquired  of  by  us,  to  do  them  for  us."i 
I  had  almost  forgotten  to  mention  that  beautiful  prayer,  Numbers 
vi.  24—2(3,  which  I  have  always  considered  as  a  separate  invoca- 
tion of  the  Persons  of  the  Sacred  Trinity.  May  •'  the  fellowship 
of  the  Holy  Gliost"  be  with  us !  and  may  he  fulfil  his  sacred  office 
in  teaching  us  what  to  pray  for,  and  how  to  pray  !' 

This  question  has  exercised  the  minds  of  many  sincere  Chris- 
tians. Perhaps  an  endeavor  to  present  it  in  its  full  Scriptural  light 
will  not  be  unacceptable.  The  exclusive  claim  of  the  only  true 
God  to  the  worship  of  bis  creatures  is  one  of  the  first  principles  of 
right  reason  and  of  religion.  Upon  this  eternal  and  unchangeable 
ground  our  Lord  denied  to  Satan  the  worship  which  he  demanded 
of  him.2  We  may  remark,  therefore,  upon  the  general  subject, 
that  the  proofs  of  the  Personality  and  Deity  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are 
so  decisive,  (though  obviously  this  is  not  the  place  for  their  produc- 
tion,) that  only  scrupulosity  of  mind  and  judgment  could  restrain 
us  from  giving  the  honor  of  Divine  worship  from  the  want  of  a 
more  explicit  revelation.  The  Divine  nature — not  the  distinct 
Personality — is  the  proper  and  necessary  ground  of  worsliip.  Each 
person  therefore  in  the  sacred  Trinity  possesses  equal  and  unalien- 
able claims — not  as  a  Person,  hut  as  God — to  the  trust,  love,  sub- 
jection, invocation,  and  every  form  and  act  of  worship  from  the 
creatures  of  God.  The  Holy  Spirit,  therefore,  '  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  together  is  worshipped  and  glorified.'^ 

As  to  the  detail  of  the  question,  the  worship  of  heaven,  as  Miss 
Graham  observes,  appears  to  be  given  to  him.  At  least,  he  is  never 
mentioned  among  the  universal  chorus  of  worshippers  ;  which  [con- 
sidering his  PersoJiality)  is  some  negative  testimony  on  this  point. 
He  is  represented  as  ''  proceeding  out  of  the  throne,"  being  not  only 
"  before,"  but  in  the  "  midst  of  the  throne  ;"  his  "  seven  eyes"  mark- 
ing his  omniscience:  his  sevenfold  influence,  his  divine  perfections.'' 
The  thrice-repeated  invocation  of  the  heavenly  host,  while  it  proves 
his  distinct  Personality  in  the  undivided  Trinity,  evidently  includes 
his  worship.  "  The  Lord  sitting  upon  his  throne"  and  worshipped 
with  most  solenm  and  impressive  adoration,  sent  by  his  own  au- 
thority, and  spake  by  his  oion  mouth,  that  commission  to  the  Pro- 
phet, which  an  Apostle  declares  to  have  been  delivered  to  him  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  = 

The  worship  of  earth  commences  at  the  visible  entrance  into 
the  Church  of  God.  The  very  first  act  of  Christian  worship  in  the 
administration  of  baptism  is  not  only,  as  Miss  Graham  observes,  a 
separate  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  also  a  dedication  of  the 
baptized  person  to  his  service. i^     For  as  the  administration  of  this 

1  Ezek.  xxxvi.  37.  2  Matt.  iv.  9,  10,  with  Luke  iv.  G,  7.     Comp.  Ps.  xlv.  11. 

3  Nicene  Creed.  t  Rev.  xxii.  i ;  iv.  5.  v.  6. 

5  Compare  Isaiah  vi.  1—3,  8 — 10,  with  Acts  xxviii.  25. 

6  Matthew  xxvhi.  19.  The  phrase  "  baptized  unto  Moses,"  (1  Cor.  x  2.)  includesthis 
idea.  The  people  were,  as  by  baptism,  consecrated  unto  God  under  the  conduct  and  in- 
struction of  his  servant  Moses. 


?16  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

seal  of  the  covenant  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  direct  ac 
knowledgment  of  this  Divine  Person  as  conjointly  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  our  covenant  God  ;  so  it  necessarily  implies  also  the 
reciprocal  obligations  of  faith,  obedience,  and  worship.  "The  com- 
munion" or  '"fellowship  of  the  Spirit"  (one  of  the  most  enlivening 
privileges  of  the  Gospel)  must  also,  like  the  "fellowship  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son,"'  be  maintained  by  prayer  in  the  large  accep- 
tation of  the  term.  For  how  else,  but  in  worship,  can  a  creature 
hold  communion  with  his  God?  This  worship  St.  John  scrupled 
not  to  give  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  supplicating  from  him,  conjointly 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  a  large  supply  of  spiritual  blessings 
upon  the  Church  of  God.^ 

Ill  Christian  experience,  the  offices  of  the  Holy  Spirit — as  Miss 
Graham  remarks — especially  ivheii  connected  with  his  Divine  Per- 
sonality, naturally  imply  supplication.  In  reference  to  one  of  these 
offices.  Scripture  parallelism,  together  with  the  marked  distinction 
of  the  Sacred  Persons,  exhibits  St.  Paul  probably  on  more  than  one 
occasion  invoking  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  "  God  that  heareth  prayer."^ 
Nor  indeed  can  we  conceive  of  his  presence  in  us  as  his  temple, 
without  all  the  devotional  exercises  of  reverence  and  praise  for  his 
condescending  love. 

The  part  irhich  the  Holy  Spirit  maintains  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Church,  sUow's  that  his  claim  to  immediate  worship  was 
fully  acknowledged.  It  was  after  a  day  of  pnblic  and  special 
supplication,  that  He  directed  by  His  own  authority  the  consecra- 
tion of  ministers  to  His  immediate  service,  and  sent  them  forth  to 
their  work.''  To  whom,  then,  we  may  ask,  had  the  prayers  of  the 
Church  been  specially  addressed,  but  to  Himself,  who  was  mani- 
festly the  object,  as  well  as  the  author,  of  their  consecration  ?  And 
to  whom  did  the  worship  connected  with  this  solemn  service  belong, 
but  to  Him,  who  was  the  direct  source  and  fountain  of  it?  We 
need  again  only  advert  to  his  acknowledged  power  in  the  ordina- 
tion of  the  ministers  of  the  Church.^'  and  to  the  exercise  of  his  sove- 
reignty in  tlie  appointment  and  restraint  of  their  several  spheres  of 
labor,*  and  in  the  distribution  of  his  gifts,''  as  a  scriptural  warrant 
for  the  direct  and  distinct  mode  of  address  to  Him  employed  in  the 
Consecration  services  of  our  Church. 

The  Christian  investigator  of  the  early  Ecclesiastical  Records 
will  observe  with  delight  this  Divine  worship  fully  pervading  the 
rituals  of  the  Primitive  churches.^     Our  own  Church,  closely  fol- 

1  2  Cor.  xiii.  14.     Phil.  ii.  1,  witli  1  John  i.  3. 

2  Rev.  i.  4.  5.  "  The  seven  Spirits,"  placed  in  this  invocation  before  Christ,  could  not 
bo  the  holy  angels  ;  whose  name  and  inheritance  are  infinitely  lielovv  him,  and  whose  con- 
scious unworthiness  in  two  recorded  instances  refused  the  proffered  worship  of  an  apostle. 
Rev.  xix.  10;  xxii.  8,  9. 

3  Compare  2  Thes.  iii.  .5,  with  Rom.  v.  5.  See  also  the  same  apparent  distinction  of 
persons  marked  1  Thes.  iii.  12,  13. 

*  Acts  xiii.  2,  4.  ^  Acts  xx.  28.  6  Acts  xx.  22;  xvi.  6,  7. 

^  1  Cor.  xii.  4,  7—11. 

8  Hurrion's  valuable  Sermons  on  the  Divinity  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  Dr.  Berriman's 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  77 

lowing  her  sacred  exemplar,  has  not  confined  this  adoration  of  (he 
Holy  Spirit  to  her  more  exclusive  Ministerial  services.  How  often 
has  the  introduction  of  it  into  her  Litain^  elevated  the  faith,  and 
refreshed  the  spirits  of  her  sincere  worshippers  !  The  frequent 
repetition  of  the  doxology  in  her  Liturgical  exercises,  is  in  the  true 
spirit  of  the  heavenly  worship  ;  and  it  may  be  a  matter  of  just  sur- 
prise, that  any  who  have  constantly  and  joyfully  united  in  this 
puljlic  ascription  of  praise  to  the  blessed  Spirit,  as  well  as  in  many 
of  our  congregational  hymns  to  a  similar  purport,  should  be  exer- 
cised with  scruples  as  to  the  Scriptural  ground  of  the  private  duty 
and  privilege  of  prayer  to  the  same  divine  person. 

Miss  Graham  considered,  and  with  some  justice,  that  many 
Christians  are  defective  in  rendering  due  and  equal  honor  to  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Her  own  views  of  his  personality  were  remarkably 
clear.  '  I  feel' — said  she  on  one  occasion — '  "  the  love  of  the  iSpirit,''^^ 
as  distinct  from  the  manifestation  of  the  love  of  Christ  to  my  soul. 
Is  this  wrong?'  Then  she  added — '  I  think  I  can  account  for  the 
feeling ;  as  I  have  made  it  a  matter  of  especial  prayer,  that  1  might 
have  clearer  views  of  the  Holy  Spirit.'  She  was  accustomed  (as 
we  have  already  seen^)  to  address  Him  in  direct,  and  probably  fre- 

and  Waterlanil's  Sermons  on  the  Trinitarian  Controversy,  give  a  condensed  and  satis- 
factory body  of  evidence  on  this  subject. 

'  Romans  xv.  30. 

2  See  her  Prayer  before  Study,  pp.  23,  24.  The  writer  cannot  forbear  to  transcribe  a 
few  specimens  of  the  Spirit  of  supplication  in  a  full,  self-abasing,  pleading,  and  enlarged 
address  to  this  Divine  Person  from  the  heart  and  pen  of  holy  Mr.  Baxter.  "  Unto  thee, 
the  Eternal  Holy  .Spirit,  proceeding  from  the  Father  and  the  Son,  the  Communicative 
Love,  who  condescendeth  to  make  perfect  the  elect  of  God,  do  Ifleliver  up  this  dark,  im- 
perfect soul,  10  be  further  renewed,  confirmed,  and  perfected,  according  to  the  Holy  Cov- 
enant. Refuse  not  to  bless  it  with  thine  indwelling  and  operations ;  quicken  it  with  thy 
life;  irradiate  it  with  thy  light;  sanctify  it  by  thy  love;  actuate  it  purely,  powerfully,  and 
constantly  by  thy  holv  motions.  And  though  the  way  of  this  thy  sacred  influence  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  human  apprehensions,  yet  let  me  know  the  reality  and  saving  power 
of  it  by  the  happy  effects.  Thou  art  more  to  souls  than  souls  to  bodies,  than  light  to  eyes. 
Oh  leave  not  my  soul  as  a  corpse  destitute  of  thy  life  ;  nor  its  eyes  as  useless,  destitute  of 
thy  light;  nor  leave  it  a  senseless  block  without  thy  motion.  Alas!  1  feel.  I  daily  feel 
that  I  am  dead  to  all  good,  and  all  that  is  good  is  dead  to  me,  if  thou  be  not  the  life  of  all. 
Teachings  and  reproofs,  mercies  and  corrections,  yea.  the  Gospel  itself,  and  all  the  liveliest 
books  and  sermons,  are  dead  to  me,  because  I  am  dead  to  them.  Yea,  God  is  as  no  God 
to  me,  and  Heaven  as  no  heaven,  and  Christ  as  no  Christ,  and  the  clearest  evidences  of 
Scripture  verity  are  as  no  proofs  at  all,  if  thou  represent  them  not  with  light  and  power 
to  my  soul.  O  thou  that  hast  begun,  and  given  me  those  heavenly  intimations  and  de- 
sires which  flesh  and  blood  could  never  give  me,  suffer  not  my  folly  to  quench  these 
sparks,  nor  this  brutish  flesh  to  prevail  against  thee,  nor  the  powers  of  hell  to  stifle  and 
kill  such  a  heavenly  seed.  O  pardon  that  folly  and  wiltulness,  which  have  too  often,  too 
obdurately,  and  too  unthankfully  striven  against  thy  grace,  and  depart  not  from  my  un- 
kind and  sinful  soul.  I  remember  with  grief  and  shame,  how  I  wilfully  bore  down  thy 
motions;  punish  it  not  with  desertion,  and  give  me  not  over  to  myself:  Art  thou  not  in 
covenant  with  me,  as  my  Sanctifier,  and  Confirmer,  and  Comforter  1  I  never  undertook 
to  do  these  thmgs  for  myself:  but  I  consent  that  thou  shouldest  work  them  on  me,  as  thou 
art  the  agent  and  advocate  of  Jesus  my  Lord.  O  plead  his  cause  effectually  in  my  soul 
against  the  suggestions  of  Satan  and  my  unbelief;  and  finish  his  healing,  saving  work; 
and  let  not  the  flesh  and  world  prevail.  Be  in  me  the  resident  witness  of  my  Lord,  the 
Author  of  my  prayers,  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  the  seal  of  God,  and  the  earnest  of  mine 
inheritance.  I,et  not  my  nights  be  so  long,  nor  my  days  so  short,  nor  sin  eclipse  those 
beams,  which  have  often  illuminated  my  soul.  V\'ithout  thee,  books  are  senseless  scrawls, 
studies  are  dreams,  learning  is  a  glow-worm,  and  wit  is  but  wantonness,  impertinence,  and 


78  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

qnent  supplication.  The  spiritual  life  indeed  of  the  Christian  is 
much  employed  in  His  reverential  service.  As  "  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost"  (whatever  that  might  be)  included  a  wilful  rejection 
of  his  faith,  honor,  and  worship;  so  does  every  sin  of  "grieving" 
our  Divine  Comforter,  and  "resisting"  his  holy  iniluence,  partake, 
according  to  its  measure,  of  the  same  character.'  The  antecedent 
obligation  is  therefore  sufficiently  obvious.  The  being  against 
Avhom  sin  is  committed,  must  be  the  worthy  object  of  religious 
honor  and  service.  All  the  exercises  therefore  of  contrition  and 
self-abasement  on  account  of  sin,  are  our  humiliating  but  ready 
acknowledgments  of  the  claim  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  our  dutiful  obe- 
dience and  worship.  Perhaps  the  circumstance  of  our  worship 
being  the  effect  of  his  own  sacred  influence  and  teacliing,  may  ac- 
count for  some  want  of  distinctness  in  setting  forth  the  obligation. 
But  his  Divine  Person  and  offices  necessarily  imply  our  equal  de- 
pendence upon  his  power  and  love :  and  the  full  and  frequent  con- 
fession of  his  claim  will  result  in  a  large  supply  of  his  heavenly 
grace,  strength,  and  consolation. 

Should  some  of  the  minor  particles  of  illustration  be  thought  to 
possess  little  or  no  positive  weight,  they  may  yet  derive  force  and 
clearness  from  their  connection  with  more  decisive  grounds  of  evi- 
dence. From  the  main  points,  however,  and  from  the  whole  view 
of  the  question,  sufficient  warrant  may  be  deduced  to  satisfy  per- 
plexed and  unsettled  inquirers,  and  to  quicken  even  the  most  intel- 
ligent servant  of  God  to  a  more  habitual  acknowledgment  of  his 
duty,  and  enjoyment  of  his  privilege  in  communion  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.  If  a  more  explicit  testimony  still  be  demanded,  we  must 
recur  to  first  principles,  never  more  valuable  than  on  these  subjects. 
"  It  is  written.''''  What  is  written  is  sufficient.  What  is  withheld 
is  best  withheld.  Man  would  be  "wise  above  what  is  written." 
Had  more  been  revealed,  more  would  still  have  been  desired ;  and 
the  appetite  for  what  is  beyond  human  research  would  have  been 
more  excited,  and  not  only  without  practical  benefit,  but  to  the 
great  detriment  of  Scriptural  knowledge.  Enough  is  given  both  in 
substance  and  clearness  to  direct  and  encourage  our  supplications 
to  the  Divine  Spirit  for  a  full  supply  of  his  heavenly  influence.  But 
in  this  and  every  other  approach  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  many 
questions  must  arise,  and  must  remain  unanswered.   All  that  belongs 

folly.  Transcribe  those  secret  precepts  on  my  heart,  which  by  thy  dictates  and  inspira- 
tions are  recorded  in  thy  holy  word.  I  refuse  not  thy  help  for  tears  and  groans;  but  oh  ! 
"  shed  abroad  that  love  upon  my  heart,"  which  may  keep  it  in  a  continual  life  of  love. 
And  teach  me  tiic  work  which  I  must  do  in  heaven.  Refresh  my  soul  with  the  delights 
of  holiness,  ami  thejoys  which  arise  from  the  believing  hopes  of  the  everlasting  joys.  Kx- 
ercise  my  heart  and  tongue  in  the  holy  praises  of  my  Lord.  Strengthen  me  in  sulT<'rings  ; 
and  conquer  the  terrors'^of  deatli  and  hell.  Make  me  the  more  heavenly,  by  how  much 
faster  am  I  hastening  to  heaven  ;  and  let  my  last  thoughts,  words,  and  works  on  earth 
be  likestto  those,  which  shall  be  my  first  in  the  state  of  glorious  immortality,  where  the 
kingdom  is  delivered  up  to  the  Father,  and  God  will  forever  be  All,  and  in  Alhof  whom, 
and^through  him,  and  to  whom  are  all  things.  To  whom  be  glory  forever.  Amen.'— 
Reasons  fJr  Christian  Religi(m,  Part  ii.  chap.  xii.  pp.  4G1— 163. 
1  Comp.  Matt.  xii.  32.     Eph.  iv.  30.     Acts  vii.  51 ;  v.  4. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  79 

to  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  essence  of  the  ever-blessed  Triune  God, 
is  equally  above  conception  and  expression.  The  Scriptures  inform 
us  of  his  nature,  but  they  do  not  reason  about  it.  A  divniely 
guarded  and  sacred  veil  covers  him  from  our  view.  And  much 
thought  upon  this  deep  subject  of  Dciiy—irrespecfive  of,  and  be- 
yond, the  sacred  boimdaries—ehher  involves  us  in  the  labyrmth 
of  metaphysics,  or  sinks  us  into  the  gross,  low,  and  familiar  views 
of  an  opposite  school.  Our  inquiries  into  this  subject  must  be  con- 
ducted with  the  deepest  caution  and  the  most  profound  humihty. 
All  tliat  belongs  to  God's  own  revelation  of  himself  must  be  re- 
ceived with  unfeigned  submission  and  contentment.  To  seek  for 
"access  through  Christ  by  the  Spirit  unto  the  Father,*"  is  the  rubric 
for  Christian  worship ;  and  in  a  strict  attention  to  this  Scriptural 
directory,  every  act,  thought,  and  desire  of  prayer  will  become  a 
means  of  communion  with  each  of  the  Sacred  Persons  in  the  Di- 
vine essence,  "  without  difference  or  inequality."  At  the  same  time, 
as  our  minds  are  drawn  to  a  separate  contemplation  of  them  (espe- 
cially as  seeking  those  blessings  which  belong  to  their  respective 
offices  in  the  economy  of  grace)  an  immediate  address  to  either  of 
them  is  fully  warranted  ;  always  however  remembering,  that,  which- 
ever person  be  the  object  of  worship,  the  mediation  of  Christ  is  the 
only  way  of  access,  the  only  plea  for  acceptance. 

Adverting  now  to  topics  of  more  general  interest,  we  transcribe 
from  Miss  Graham's  Manuscript  a  few  remarks  vpon  the  subject 
of  Infidelity,  as  a  fearful  characteristic  of  the  present  day.  They 
will  be  found  to  possess  the  usual  marks  of  her  sound,  reflecting, 
Christian  mind.  Speaking  of  the  importance  of  mathematical  study 
as  furnishing  armor  and  discipline  suitable  to  the  present  crisis,'^  she 
remarks — 

'  Intelligent  Christians  are  especially  called  upon  to  set  themselves 
in  strong  array  against  the  gathering  forces  of  inlidelity.  This  last 
enemy  of  Christianity  is  filling  up  his  ranks  from  all  classes  of  the 
community.  The  active  diligence  of  his  malignity  naturally  re- 
minds us  of  the  prediction — "  The  devil  is  come  down  to  you,  having 
great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short  time."  '^ 

The  deceitful  and  superficial  character  of  the  arguments  em- 
ployed by  the  great  adversary  is  well  exposed.  '  They  generally 
consist,'  she  observes,  '  of  a  confused  mass  of  objections,  apparently 
formidable  from  their  very  indistinctness.  Like  objects  seen  through 
a  fog,  the  superficial  observer  supposes  them  to  be  larger  than  they 
really  are.  But  let  us  disentangle  the  artful  confusion  of  words  and 
ideas.  Let  us  set  apart  each  argument  for  separate  and  minute 
scrutiny.  Let  us  analyze  the  boasted  reasonings  of  the  infidel  phi- 
losophy.    We  shall  find  that  they  may  be  classed  under  two  heads 

1  Ephesians  ii.  18. 
2  Yet,  while  insisting  upon  these  advantages,  she  was  not  insensible  to  the  ensnaring 
temptations  connected  with  this  investigating  science.     See  the  analysis  of  her  Manu- 
script, p.  24,  25,  note. 

3  Rev.  xii.  12. 


so  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

— Assertions  which  are  true,  hut  no  way  to  the  purpose :  and  as- 
sertions wliich  are  to  the  purpose,  but  they  are  not  true.  These 
form  the  materials  of  every  plausible  argument  against  Christianity. 
By  this  mixture  of  untrue  and  irrelevant  matter  with  that  which  is 
true  and  pertinent,  the  undorstandings  of  the  self-conceited  and 
unwary  are  subverted.  Strictly  speaking,  no  assertion  can  be  to 
the  purpose  which  is  not  true.  But  it  may  be  of  such  apparently 
pertinent  application,  as  to  lead  us  to  examine  less  closely  into  its 
truth.  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  be  undeniably  true,  we  sometimes 
forget  to  inquire  (especially  when  n)any  arguments  of  this  kind  are 
artfully  interwoven  together)  whether  it  has  any  connection  with 
the  subject  in  hand.' 

In  reference  to  the  efforts  necessary  to  resist  this  mighty  spirit, 
she  justly  inculcates  the  importance  of  a  well-furnished  and  well- 
disciplined  mind,  enabling  us  to  meet  the  infidel  upon  his  own 
ground  of  reason,  and  to  fight  him  with  his  own  sword. 

'  Whenever,  she  observes,  '  "  the  enemy  thus  comes  in  like  a  flood, 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  lift  up  a  standard  against  him."'  He, 
who  in  his  purpose  of  inscrutable  wisdom  suffers  these  "scoffers  to 
come  in  the  lasi  age,"-  will  not  fail  to  raise  up  men  in  his  church 
well  fitted  to  resist  them.  These  champions  of  tire  cross  must  be 
men  "strong  in  the  faith,"  and  "filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  But, 
judging  from  the  instruments  which  the  Lord  has  employed  in  times 
past  for  his  church,  we  are  led  to  expect  that  they  will  be  learned 
in  all  the  wisdom  of  their  enemies — in  earthly  as  well  as  heavenly 
wisdom.  To  oppose  the  subtleties  of  Arius,  an  acute  and  powerful 
reasoner  was  raised  up  in  the  person  of  Athanasius.  A  wise  and 
learned  Augustine  was  provided  to  qusll  the  dreadful  heresy  of  Pe- 
lagius.  Luther,  Calvin,  Melancihan,  and  almost  all  the  eminent 
Reformers,  were  men  of  profound  erudition,  and  strong  powers  of 
argumentation.  "  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  wise  ;"3  and  he  could  now,  and  perhaps  may,  see 
fit  to  correct  the  progress  of  infidelity  by  means  of  "  unlearned 
men."*  Yet,  when  we  look  back  upon  the  instruments  which  he 
has  heretofore  raised  up,  and  consider  the  many  advantages  of 
human  learning  which  he  has  placed  within  our  reach,  it  seems 
evidently  our  duty  to  use  those  means  to  the  utmost;  at  least,  until 
the  Lord  shall  give  us  some  clear  indication  of  a  more  excellent  and 
acceptable  way.  "Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  suckhngs  our 
God  ordaineth  strength."^  Let  us  then  seek  to  obtain  the  spirit  and 
temper  of  a  Uttle  child.  But  let  us  never  forget,  that,  while  "in 
malice  we  are  children,"  it  behooves  us  "in  understanding  to  be 
men."  '* 

She  thus  happily  brings  a  scriptural  illustration  to  bear  upon  her 

subject. 

'David  with  a  sling  and  a  stone  fought  Goliath  and  conquered. 

1  Isaiah  lix.  19.  2-2  Peter  iii.  2  3  1  Cor.  i.  97. 

*  Acts  iv.  13,  s  Psalm  viii.  2.  «  1  Cor.xiv.  "20. 


MEMOIR    OF   MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  81 

This  time  be  wanted  no  other  weapon,  for  God  had  appointed  him 
no  other.  But  when  on  a  future  occasion  he  was  sore  pressed  by 
bis  enemies,  he  went  into  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  demanded 
the  sword  of  that  same  Gohath.  "There  is  none,"  said  he,  "hke 
that ;  give  it  me.'"  Why  should  he  choose  a  weapon,  which  he 
had  seen  fall  powerless  from  the  hand  of  the  uncircumcised  Philis- 
tine? Because  he  knew  that  in  the  grasp  of  the  circumcised  David 
it  would  do  goodly  service.  The  hand,  not  the  weapon,  had  been 
in  fault.  Thus  may  we,  if  called  by  the  leadings  of  Providence, 
avail  ourselves  of  human  means,  and  meet  our  adversaries  hand  to 
hand  with  their  own  weapons.  Only  let  us  use  David's  caution. 
Let  us  not  take  the  sword  of  the  Philistine,  till  it  has  been  con- 
secrated in  the  temple  of  the  Lord.' 

The  present  face  of  the  times,  in  the  judgment  of  all  intelligent 
observers,  seems  strongly  to  mark  an  impending-  crisis — as  if  the 
"  Israel"  of  God  "  and  the  Philistines  were  putting  the  battle  in 
array,  army  against  army.'"^  We  know  on  which  side  tJie  victory 
is  secured.  Yet  the  conflict  will  doubtless  be  severe.  Let  the 
servants  of  God  gird  themselves  for  "  the  good  fight  of  faith,"  with 
the  whole  armor  of  God.  This  is  no  time  for  slumber  or  inaction. 
A  religion  taken  upon  trust,  "  received  by  tradition  from  our 
fathers,"  provides  no  resource  in  the  hour  of  trial.  A  "  faith, 
standing  not  upon  the  wisdom  of  man,  but  upon  the  power  of 
God,"''  will  be  a  defence,  a  stay,  a  ground  of  unfailing  hope  and 
consolation. 

But  on  this  subject  we  will  give  Miss  Graham's  own  words  in  a 
letter  to  her  cousin.  It  will  be  found  to  be  a  refreshing  specimen 
of  her  practical  and  edifying  mode  of  treating  subjects,  which  have 
lately  been  found  so  fruitful  in  speculation. 

'  April,  1827. 
'Amongst  the  many  reflections  which  I  have  made  upon  the 
Millennium,  there  are  two  which  occupy  my  mind  very  much.  I 
thought  of  them  the  whole  of  one  day  ;  one  was  founded  upon  this 
text — "And  some  of  them  of  understanding  shall  fall,  to  try  them, 
and  to  purge,  and  to  make  them  white,  even  to  the  time  of  the  end, 
because  it  is  yet  a  time  appointed."^  Does  not  one  shudder  with 
horror  in  anticipating  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  ?  Who  can 
need  purifying  more  than  we  do?  Who  can  say  that  these  words 
are  not  addressed  to  us?  How  dreadful  to  fall  in  that  time  when 
the  Saviour  is  about  to  appear  !  to  fall  in  the  very  moment  when 
our  song  of  triumph  should  begin  !  to  fall  in  the  very  midst  of 
enemies,  of  persecutions,  of  infidelities,  in  that  time  when  "the 
devil  will  have  great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth  that  he  will  have 
but  a  short  time"  to  trouble  the  faithful.^  But  I  think  that  perhaps 
God  has  inspired  me  with  this  fear,  that  I  may  pray  against  so 

1  1  Sam.  xxi.  9.  2  Ibid.  xvii.  21 .  3  1  Cor  ii.  5. 

*  Daniel  xi.  35.  s  Rev.  xii.  12. 

6 


82  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

fatal  an  event ;  and  this  is  my  reason  for  communicating  it  to  you. 
When  I  was  ahuost  overwhelmed  with  this  reflection,  these  sweet 
M-ords  came  to  my  heart,  and  made  me  think  of  you, — "  Two  are 
better  than  one."^  Since  in  this  instance  the  Scriptures  and  our 
hearts  agree,  I  beseech  you  not  to  separate  yourself  from  me.  Let 
us  love  each  other  always,  and  pray  for  each  other,  that  we  may  not 
fall.  But  if  unhappily  one  of  us  should  foil,  may  the  other  be  ready 
to  raise  her  up  again.  If  I  should  fall  either  into  the  love  of  the 
world,  or  into  infidehty,  or  into  any  other  sin,  do  not  give  me  up. 
Do  not  think  I  am  a  hypocrite.  Think  that  it  is  to  "purify  and  to 
try  me  ;"  and  pray,  that  if  you  fall,  I  may  act  in  the  same  way 
towards  you,  But  in  the  midst  of  the  thoughts  which  these  sad 
ideas  gave  me,  these  words  came  for  my  encouragement, — "  They 
that  are  with  the  Lamb  are  called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful.'^ 
You  know  how  precious  these  words  have  been  to  me.  But  I  now 
saw  them  in  a  new  point  of  view.  They  appeared  to  me  a  plain 
promise  introduced  exactly  at  that  time  to  console  the  saints  under 
their  difficulties,  by  assiuing  them  that  they  will  be  a  little  troop, 
*'  called,  chosen,  and  faithful,"  against  whom  no  enemies  will  be 
able  to  prevail :  that  they  will  have  a  degree  of  faith  proportioned 
to  their  sufferings  and  necessities.  In  short,  in  describing  the 
character  of  this  elect  band,  I  wish  to  believe,  that  it  describes  what 
we  shall  be  found,  if  we  arrive  at  that  period.  If  already  we  are 
"  called  and  chosen,"  shall  we  not  then  be  "  faithful  V  Let  us 
plead  this  promise.  It  speaks  to  me  like  a  voice  from  heaven.  It 
answers  every  fear,  every  uncertainty.  Would  God  choose  and 
call  soldiers  who  would  be  unfaithful  to  him  ?  Will  not  our  captain 
teach  us  to  go  follow  him  wherever  he  will  have  us  go  ?  When  I 
say  to  myself,  'Poor  and  feeble  creature,  what  will  you  do  in  that 
time  of  distress  and  temptation? — faith,  which  cannot  resist  a 
single  vain  thought,  how  will  you  resist  the  united  efforts  of  the 
world,  the  devil,  and  a  wicked  heart  T  Then  I  answer,  '  Yes  ;  but 
has  not  God  said,  that  the  saints  in  that  day  shall  be  "  faithful  and 
chosen"  by  Himself,  who  cannot  choose  amiss?  Rest  upon  his 
word  ;  if  he  sees  that  you  are  not  fit  to  fight  in  the  battle  of  that 
great  day,  He  will  not  call  you  to  it ;  and  if  he  call  you  to  it,  it  is 
his  part  to  give  you  the  fidelity  which  will  be  so  necessary.' 

Miss  Graham's  remarks  on  the  subject  of  Prophecy  will  be  in- 
terestino-,  and  furnish  occasion  for  some  observations  suited  to  the 
present  time.  Having  insisted  upon  the  importance  of  mathematical 
study  in  reference  to  the  progress  of  infidelity,  she  applies  the  same 
train  of  reasoning  to  the  excitement  to  the  study  of  Prophecy, 
which  she  justly  remarks  to  be  one  of  the  prominent  characteristics 
of  our  day. 

'  There  is  yet  another  subject,'  she  observes,  '  which,  though  at 
present  but  partially  considered,  bids  fair,  ere  long,  to  engross  the 
attention  of  the  Christian  world,  1  allude  to  the  study  of  prophecy. 

1  Eccles.  iv.  9,  10,  *  Rev.  xvii.  14. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  83 

"Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord,  and  read" — is  the  Divine 
command  ;  "  no  one  of  these  shall  fail,  none  shall  want  her  mate.'" 
I  am  particularly  led  to  advert  to  it  in  this  place,  because  I  have 
heard  with  inexpressible  pleasure,  that  these  inquiries  have  already 
been  useful  in  thinning  the  ranks  of  infideUty.  The  inducements 
to  this  study  are  indeed  greater  than  in  any  former  age  of  the 
church.  The  coincidence  between  prophecy  and  its  fulfilment  is  in 
these  latter  days  grandly  conspicuous.  It  is  such,  that  "  he  who 
runs  may  read."^  The  winding  up  of  the  whole  seems  to  be  near 
at  hand.  The  last  prophecy  must  ere  long,  find  "her  mate,"^  in 
the  last  event  of  humanity.  Prediction  is  almost  swallowed  up  in 
accomplishment.^  Happy  are  those,  who  with  reason  erilightened 
by  a  ray  of  divine  intelligence,  can  trace  the  wonderful  coincidence, 
which  subsists  between  what  God  has  foretold,  and  what  he  has 
done ;  whose  thoughts  stretch  forward  in  awful,  yet  fearless  antici- 
pation of  what  God  is  about  to  do  ! 

'But  to  attempt  any  discussion  of  the  views  that  are  held  upon 
this  subject,  would  be  foreign  to  the  purpose  of  this  little  treatise.  If 
we  would  enter  fully  into  the  prophetic  writings,  we  mtist,  like 
Daniel  "set  our  faces  unto  the  Lord  God,  to  seek  by  prayer  and  sup- 
plication.'"^ My  object  is  to  hint  to  the  youthfid  student,  who  may 
probably  be  hereafter  engaged  in  this  most  interesting  contempla- 
tion, the  extreme  importance  of  having  his  imagination  under  the 
strictest  discipline  of  reason.  If  ever  the  "spirit  of  a  sound  mind" 
was  necessary,  it  is  so  in  the  investigation  of  the  future  prophecies. 
A  more  than  mathematical  accmacy  of  definition,  of  statement, 
and  of  argument,  should  be  carried  into  all  that  is  said  or  written 
upon  this  subject.  When  I  consider  the  extraordinary  spirit  of  in- 
quiry that  is  now  beginning  to  spread  ;  when  I  think  I  perceive 
that  these  inquiries  are  not  only  justified  by  Scripture,  but  are  thetn- 
selves  a  part  of  prophetic  fulfilment ;  and  when  I  joyfully  antici- 

•  Isaiah  xxxiv.  16.  '  Hab.  ii.  2. 

3  If  this  idea  was  intended  to  be  the  exposition— not  the  accommodation— of  the  text, 
it  will  generally  be  considered  fanciful.  A  general  rule  is  probably  given  to  stimulate  to 
the  investigation  of  prophecy.  But  the  context  will  readily  supply  the  particular  appli- 
cation of  the  case  alluded  to.  Miss  Graham's  thought,  however,  is  expressed  by  our 
great  Christian  philosopher,  Lord  Bacon,  with  his  accustomed  depth  and  clearness.  Ex- 
pressing his  wish  that  '  a  History  of  Prophecy'  might  be  given  to  the  church,  he  adds  his 
own  view  of  what  it  should  be.  '  The  history  of  prophecy,'  he  observes,  '  consists  of  two 
relatives,  the  prophecy  and  the  accomplishment.  Hence  the  nature  of  the  work  requires, 
that  throughout  all  ages  of  the  world,  every  Scripture  prophecy  should  be  compared  with 
the  event,  for  the  confirmation  of  the  faith,  and  the  wise  instruction  of  the  church,  with 
regard  to  the  interpretation  of  the  prophecies,  which  yet  remain  unfulfilled.  The  latitude, 
however,  must  be  allowed,  which  is  agreeable  to  the  Divine  prophecies  (of  course  Lord 
Bacon  only  refers  to  the  several  successive  and  connected  parts  of  one  prophetic  system) 
not  fulfilled  at  stated  times,  but  in  succession,  according  to  the  nature  of  their  Author, 
to  whom  "  one  day  is  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day."  They  are 
not  therefore  fulfilled  punctually  at  once ;  but  they  have  a  growing  accomplishment 
through  many  ages,  though  the  height  or  fulness  of  them  may  refer  to  a  single  ageor  mo- 
ment.' Of  the  work  itself  however,  he  wisely  adds— Le^  it  be  treated  uiih  xcisdom,  so- 
briety, and  reverence — or  let  atone. — Advancement  of  Learning,  book  u.  c.  a. 

*  Perhaps  this  expression  will  be  considered  to  inark  the  glowing  ardency  of  her  feel- 
ings, rather  than  the  disciphne  of  her  judgment.  *  Dan.  ix.  o. 


84  MEMOIR  OF  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM, 

pate,  that  "  many  shall  run  to  and  fro"  on  this  subject,  "and  knowl- 
edge shall  be"  wonderfully  "increased  ;'"  it  is  at  such  times  tliat  I 
most  deeply  feel  the  importance  of  entreating  the  young  Christian 
dihgently  to  cultivate,  in  a  spirit  of  prayer  and  faith,  all  those  parts 
of  education,  which  especially  tend  to  impart  soundness,  penetra- 
tiveness  and  energy  to  his  reasoning  powers.' 

Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  somewhat  novel  connection  of 
prophecy  with  mathematical  study,  it  would  have  been  well  for 
some  of  our  modern  interpreters  to  have  disciplined  their  minds  to 
the  principles  of  this  more  severe  science.  Much  crude  and  dog- 
matical statement  would  have  been  restrained,  many  painful  ab- 
surdities would  have  been  excluded,  and  much  perplexities  spared 
to  the  path  of  the  sincere,  but  unfurnished  inquirer.  The  prophetic 
study  is  indeed,  as  Miss  Graham  observes,  one  of  the  characteristics 
of  our  day.  The  church  is  at  least  partially  awakened  to  a  full 
and  dutiful  acknowledgment  of  her  Lord's  command,  "  Search  the 
Sc7'iptures."^  Indeed,  apart  from  the  authority  of  this  express 
command,  the  universal  "  spirit  of  prophecy,"  as  "  the  testimony  of 
Jesus,''^  while  it  furnishes  the  true  key  of  interpretation,  gives  it  an 
imperative  claim  upon  our  attention  and  regard.  The  personal 
benefits  of  this  study  are  such  as  richly  to  repay  all  the  serious  at- 
tention and  humble  prayers  that  may  be  devoted  to  it.  A  minute 
consideration  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  the  sacred 
book,  can  scarcely  fail  of  enriching  the  temperate  and  holy  student 
with  most  valuable  results.  Added  to  which,  the  succession  of 
events  most  deeply  interesting  and  solemnly  instructive,  passing  be- 
fore us  through  the  medium  of  the  daily  press,  strongly  marks  our 
immediate  and  individual  concern  in  this  scriptural  research. 

Many  Christians  are  unduly  repelled  by  the  difficulties  and  un- 
certainty, which  confessedly  belong  to  the  subject.  But  "  the  pro- 
phets," though  they  could  not  understand,  felt  it  their  duty  and 
privilege  to  "search."^  "We  have  also  the  more  sure  word  of  pro- 
phecy," with  the  injunction  that  "we  do  well  that  we  take  heed  to 
it,"'  and  with  a  special  and  most  encouraging  promise  to  stimulate 
our  investigation.* 

The  precise  extent  of  the  claim  of  this  study  must  however  be 
variously  estimated.  In  all  cases  indeed,  the  consideration  of  y^/^Z- 
filled  prophecy  is  a  component  of  Christian  evidence  to  our  own 
minds,  and  will  furnish  the  "  answer,  that  we  should  be  ready  al- 
ways to  give  to  every  man  that  asketh  us  a  reason  of  the  hope  that 
is  in  us,  with  meekness  and  fear."'^  The  study  of  unfulfilled  pro- 
phecy— if  it  he  a  general  duty — is  not  in  all  cases  the  immediate 
duty.  It  must  be  subordinated  to  the  primary  concern  of  a  personal 
interest  in  the  Gospel.  To  a  mind  awakened  to  serious  inquiry  on 
its  own  state,  yet  but  slightly  tinctured  with  conviction,  and  imper- 
fectly directed  to  the  Saviour,  the  presentment  of  the  claims  of 

1  Daniel  xii.  4.  2  John  v.  39.  3  Rev.  xix.  10. 

4  1  Peter  i.  11,  12.  s  2  Peter  i.  19.  6  Rev.  i.  3. 

7  1  Peter  iii.  15. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  85 

unfulfilled  prophecy  for  consideration  is  a  most  mischievous  evil. 
The  soul  is  diverted  from  the  main  object  of  contemplation  and 
pursuit.  Imagination  is  exercised  instead  of  faith.  A  speculative 
taste  is  gratified  in  the  place  of  the  practical  influence  of  the  truths 
of  the  Gospel.  This  "  ignorance  of  Satan's  devices"  enables  him 
to  get  advantage — if  not  to  the  ruin  of  the  soul — yet  to  the 
"corruption  of  the  mind  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ.'" 
And  indeed  under  all  circumstances,  attention  to  prophecy  must  be 
regulated,  in  some  degree  at  least,  by  the  leisure,  opportunities,  and 
advantages  severally  belonging  to  us;  not  failing  to  pay  due  re- 
gard to  Scriptural  proportion,  as  well  as  to  imperative  obligation. 
That  exclusive  study,  which  occupies  the  place  of  Christ  crucified 
in  doctrine,  and  forms  a  substitute  for  the  various  exercises  of  ex- 
perimental and  practical  habits — is  greatly  to  be  deprecated.  Be- 
sides the  evils  with  the  young  inquirer  just  adverted  to,  it  keeps 
out  of  sight  many  important  subjects  of  obligation  and  interest 
included  in  the  sacred  canon.  It  has  ministered  to  mere  specula- 
tive curiosity  and  unhallowed  presumption.  It  has  originated  many 
of  the  schisms  now  unhappily  dividing  the  church,  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  "doubtful  disputation"  for  substantial  truth,  greatly  to  the 
hindrance  of  Christian  privilege,  devotedness,  and  consistency. 

Admitting,  however,  the  general  importance  of  this  study,  the 
temper  in  which  it  is  to  be  conducted  is  a  matter  of  the  first  mo- 
ment. The  instance  of  Daniel  produced  by  Miss  Graham,  exhibits 
the  finest  speciemen  of  the  Prophetic  Interpreter  or  Student.  Such 
diligence  of  research,  in  prostration  of  soul,  accompanied  with  such 
sanctity,  humility,  faith,  and  perseverance,  will,  under  the  most  un- 
favorable circumstances  of  external  destitution,  be  honored  of  God. 
The  exercise  of  these  holy  graces  will  form  a  safeguard  against  the 
delusive  influence  of  human  speculations,  and  will  enable  us  to  im- 
prove the  results  of  divine  teaching  for  the  high  purposes  for  which 
they  were  vouchsafed.  The  investigation  of  prophecy  will  thus  be- 
come a  cheering  support  to  us  in  the  anticipation  of  trials,  and  a 
quickening  stimulus  to  the  discharge  of  our  immediate  respon- 
sibilities. 

The  warranted  expectation,  however,  of  human  help  may  prob- 
ably have  been  overrated.  Though  in  this,  more  than  in  any 
other  age,  "  many  have  run  to  and  fro" — yet  it  may  be  doubted 
how  far  Miss  Graham's  hopes  have  been  realized  by  an  increase  of 
"  knowledge"^  commensurate  with  the  extent  of 'research.  The 
march  of  Christian  intellect  has  been  in  most  cases  retarded  by  a 
defect  of  spiritual  or  intellectual  qualifications.  Some  of  the  more 
elaborate  and  practised  writers  want  that  unction  and  spirituality, 
which  evidence  a  mind  divinely-instructed  for  this  "search  into  the 
deep  things  of  God  ;"  and  this  deficiency  of  the  stamp  of  heavenly 
influence  materially  weakens  our  confidence  in  the  results  from 
their  subsidiary  intellectual  advantages.     Other  writers  of  a  more 

■  2  Corinthians  ii.  11 ;  xi.  3.  2  Daniel  xii.  4. 


86  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

decidedly  evangelical  school,  are  too  sparingly  furnished  v.'ith  those 
resources  of  erudition  and  intelligence,  which  doubtless  were  in- 
tended to  reflect  valuable,  though  subordinate,  light  upon  the  pro- 
phetic page.  Some,  again,  of  the  same  school,  have  taken  up  crude 
and  undigested  views — the  result  of  imagination,  impulse,  or  ex- 
citement, rather  than  of  matured  judgment  and  consideration  ; 
while  the  dogmatism  and  self-sufficiency  of  others  give  no  proof  of 
divine  suggestion,  and  offer  no  satisfaction  to  the  inquiring  mind. 
There  is  probably  no  accredited  writer  in  the  various  prophetic 
schools  who  has  not  contributed  his  quantum  in  clearing  up  ditli- 
culties,  and  throwing  light  upon  some  department  of  the  subject. 
Yet  it  may  be  doubted  whether  a  connected  and  comprehensive 
scheme  of  the  divine  system  has  yet  been  satisfactorily  developed  : 
and  in  the  diflferent  schemes  that  have  been  proposed,  much  Chris- 
tian discernment  is  required  to  separate  in  them  what  is  solidly 
established,  from  what  is  unsubstantial  and  speculative.  Human 
helps  must  therefore,  under  all  circumstances,  be  subsidiary — not 
primary.  God's  book  must  ever  maintain  its  own  supreme  place. 
The  scattered  rays  reflected  from  different  parts  of  its  prophetic  sys- 
tem (such  as  the  comparison  of  the  Books  of  Daniel  and  John)  and 
centering  in  one  point,  will  often  furnish  a  strong  and  clear  light  for 
the  direction  and  encouragement  of  the  Christian  student.  We 
feel  therefore  great  confidence  in  recommending  a  Berean  search 
of  the  Scripture  as  the  ground-work  of  prophetic  investigation  ;^ 
not  omitting  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  industry  and  intelligence  of 
accredited  writers  for  the  expansion  of  our  views  and  the  elucida- 
tion of  our  difficulties  ;  but  at  the  same  time  exercising  our  judg- 
ment, in  dependence  upon  our  heavenly  Teacher,  again  to  com- 
pare the  exposition  of  their  systems  with  the  light  of  the  sacred 
book.  In  this  process  of  inquiry,  we  are  persuaded,  that  "  the 
wise  shall  understand,"  (even  though  they  be  "wayfaring  fools,"'^) 
as  far  as  is  consistent  witi]  the  divine  will,  and  necessary  for  their 
duty  and  comfort;  and  for  the  rest  they  may  well  be  content  to 
wait  for  the  full  splendor  of  the  light  of  the  heavenly  world. 

May  the  writer  without  presumption  be -allowed  to  suggest  a  few 
hints  relative  to  the  clear  interpretation  and  profitable  study  of 
prophecy  ? 

1.  Let  the  special  need  of  Divine  ivjliience  he  frimarily  con- 
sidered. Far  be  it  from  the  writer  to  underrate  the  intellectual 
qualifications.  He  is  well  aware  of  the  treasures  of  erudition,  that 
have  been  effectively  applied  to  this  most  important  subject.  He 
would  have  the  whole  field  of  prophecy  traversed  with  all  the  mind 
and  research  that  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  it.  But  he  cannot 
forget  that  the  teaching  wisdom  belongs  to  God  ;  and  that  it  is  the 
irradiation  of  his  holy  light,  which  can  alone  illumine  the  dark 
places  in  this  to  us   uncertain  track.^     Let   the  interpreter   duly 

>  CoTTipare  Acts  xvii.  11,  12.  2  Daniel  xii.  10,  with  Isaiah  xxxv.  8. 

3  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  thnt  Daniel's  knowlpilge  of  unfulfilled  prophecy  is  distinctly 
connected  with  the  Spirit  of  prayer.     Daniel  ii.  10—23  ;  ix.  20—27. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  87 

weigh  his  special  and  weighty  responsibilities.  How  large  a  portion 
of  the  grace  and  "  wisdom  tiiat  is  from  above"  does  he  need,  to  in- 
duce that  waiting  spirit  so  acceptable  to  God  ;  to  restrain  the  rising 
of  dogmatism,  spiritual  self-will  and  conceit ;  to  repress  ''  private 
interpretations,"  so  iuconsistent  with  the  comprehensiveness  of 
Scripture  prophecy  :  to  guard  against  giving  his  own  mind  in  the 
professed  desire  only  to  interpret  the  mind  of  God  ;  to  take  an  en- 
tire view  of  the  whole  range  of  prophecy,  instead  of  contracting  his 
interest  to  a  few  favorite  points  ;  to  forbear  with  the  decided  views 
of  his  opponents;  readily  to  retract  his  indigested  opinions,  and  to 
yield  his  prejudices  to  the  influence  of  more  correct  and  enlarged 
apprehensions ;  and  habitually  to  connect  every  view  with  the 
glory  of  his  Saviour,  and  the  extension  of  his  kingdom  !  These 
are  confessedly  responsibilities  of  no  ordinary  moment.  They  for- 
bid trifling  with  the  subject,  as  if  its  clear  light  were  revealed  by 
some  momentary  inspiration  ;  they  realize  the  urgent  need  of  "  the 
Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation"  to  "  enlighten  the  eyes  of  his  un- 
derstanding ;"'  and  they  inculcate  a  habit  of  dependence,  supplica- 
tion, seriousness,  and  that  reverence  which  Lord  Bacon  so  justly  de- 
scribes as  indispensable  to  the  profitable  consideration  of  the  sub- 
ject. In  the  defect  of  this  spirit,  successive  systems  of  prophecy 
have  been  ingeniously  woven  ;  the  interpreters  "  come  together," 
and  bring  before  the  church  their  several  hypotheses  and  conclu- 
sions ;  and  "every  one,"  as  at  Corinth,  "hath  a  doctrine,  hath  a 
tongue,  hatha  revelation,  hath  an  interpretation."^  It  cannot  be 
doubted,  but  this  defect  of  Christian  simplicity  is  one  main  cause  of 
the  indeterminate  apprehension  of  the  subject.  Who  does  not  see 
how  needful  is  "  singleness  of  eye,"  the  gift  of  God,  to  reflect  hght 
upon  the  mind  ;  while  an  "  evil  eye,"  affected  with  some  natural 
bias,  leads  us  in  the  review  of  the  results  of  human  ingenuity  to 
exclaim,  "  How  great  is  this  darkness  !  "^ 

2.  Let  a  forbearing  spirit  he  inculcated  in  this  research.  The 
importance  of  this  spirit  in  an  intellectual  view  is  sufficiently  ob- 
vious, as  a  guard  from  the  prevalent  evils  of  self-conceit.  Its  influ- 
ence in  every  department  of  sacred  truth — especially  in  the  field 
of  prophecy — is  of  yet  higher  moment.  The  writer's  own  studies 
in  this  field  have  brought  him  to  the  fixed  conclusion— that  many 
of  the  controverted  points  (those,  for  example,  connected  with  our 
Lord's  second  Advent,)  are  embarrassed  with  ditficulties  on  both 
sides,  sufficient  to  preserve  wise  and  humble  men  from  dogmatizing 
on  either  part :  and  to  excite  mutual  respect  and  forbearance,  rath-er 
than  what  we  are  too  often  constrained  to  see — "  brethren  grudging 
one  against  another."'*     The  event  indeed  is  a  doctrine  of  faith — 

1  Eph.  i.  17,  18.  2  1  Cor.  xiv.  26. 

3  Matt.  vi.  22,  23.  It  is  a  remarkable  expression — "  None  of  the  vicked  (using  the 
term  in  the  Urge  scriptural  sense)  shall  understand,"  Daniel  xii.  10.  The  outward 
sources  of  information  are  open  to  them.  But  their  pride  wilfully  excludes  them  from  the 
direct  inlets  of  Divine  light.     See  Matthew  xi.  25,  26.     1  Corinthians  ii.  14;  iii,  18 — 20. 

*  James  v.  9.     Couip.  .ilatt.  iiiv.  48,  49. 


88  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

absolutely  certain.  The  time  and  circumstantials  being  imperfectly 
revealed,  are  matters  of  forbearance  ;  on  which  all,  even  the  most 
sober,  interpreters  have  been  constrained  in  the  course  of  investiga- 
tion, in  some  points  of  more  or  less  moment,  to  retract,  modify,  or 
restate  their  views.  Indeed,  prophecy,  according  to  the  Scriptural 
definition,  is  "a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place,'"  yet  not  smely 
the  light  of  "perfect  day  ;"  and  well  would  it  be  for  us,  if  the  con- 
fession of  our  ignorance  would  find  vent  in  the  Apostle's  adoring 
contemplation — '•  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments  !  and  his 
ways  past  finding  out  I"^  We  may  indeed  justly  expect  clearer 
light  to  dawn  upon  us,  as  the  consummation  of  the  grand  events 
draws  on.  Meanwhile  we  must  combine  diligent  study  with  cau- 
tious application.  We  must  be  content  for  the  most  part  with  the 
statement  of  general  views  and  results.  If  the  events  are  clear,  the 
time,  mode,  and  means  of  their  accomplishment  are  often  undefined. 
We  are  assured,  that  none  of  the  Divine  predictions  can  fall  to  the 
ground ;  that  the  events  contemplated  in  them  are  the  fruit  of  the 
Lord's  superintending  love  to  his  church,  and  that  they  will  all 
issue  in  the  final  advancement  of  his  own  glory.  In  this  recollec- 
tion it  is  most  suitable  to  cultivate  that  truly  Christian  spirit  of 
patient  expectancy,  which,  in  child-like  humility,  not  in  slumbering 
indolence,  is  content  to  leave  to  the  Lord  the  unfolding  of  his  own 
purposes. 

The  Writer  may  be  permitted  to  observe  that  the  indeterminate 
fixing  of  dates  to  the  several  prophetic  eras,  offers  large  room  for 
the  exercise  of  this  forbearing  spirit.  Prophets,  with  all  their  war- 
ranted confidence,  were  modest.  They  never  spoke  without  a  clear 
commission — "  Thus  saith  the  LordP  Interpreters  of  prophecy 
are  not  always  so  modest.  The  confident  mode  of  calculation 
which  is  sometimes  adopted,  might  lead  us  to  suppose,  not  only  that 
the  several  periods,  but  also  that  their  conmiencing  points,  were, 
like  Daniel's  weeks,^  absolutely  revealed.  To  a  few  of  the  most 
important  eras,  indeed,  dates,  luore  or  less  probable,  hut  not  abso- 
lutely decisive,  may  be  assigned ;  but  in  periods  of  less  moment, 
experience  has  fully  shown  how  unsatisfactory  all  attempts  to  lix 
the  precise  periods  of  events  have  proved  and  are  likely  to  prove. 
Our  Lord,  while  he  reproved  listless  indifference  to  "  the  signs  of  the 
times,"''  rebuked  with  no  less  decision  this  presumptuous  interference 
with  his  sovereign  prerogative.^  '  If  ever,' — as  Miss  Graham  ad- 
mirably observes — '  "  the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind"  is  necessary,  it  is 
so  in  the  investigation  of  the  future  prophecies.'  Wise  and  holy 
men  of  God  will  learn  to  speak  with  caution  and  reserve  upon  sub- 
jects obscurely  revealed.  General  views  are  sufficient  for  the  ground 
and  encouragement  of  faith.  And  the  cloud  that  still  covers  this 
mystic  history  of  futurity,  abundantly  shows,  that  the  end  of  proph- 
ecy was  not  to  make  us  prophets — but  to  "  set  us  upon  our  watch- 

<  2  Peter,  i.  19.  ^  Rom.  xi.  33.  3  Daniel  ix.24— 27. 

<  Matt.  xvi.  3.  5  Acts  i.  7. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  89 

towers,"'  as  diligent  and  humble  inquirers,  seeking  to  "have  under- 
standing of  the  signs  of  the  times,  that  we  might  know  what  Israel 
ought  to  do,"^  and  to  expect. 

Indeed,  this  designed  darkness  subserves  various  and  important 
uses.  Ft  furnishes  a  needful  and  wholesome  check  upon  human 
speculation.  Had  the  Great  Author  of  prophecy  intended  it  as  the 
rule  of  life,  he  would  doubtless  have  written  it  with  a  sunbeam.  In 
its  present  mode  and  character  of  revelation  it  is  however  admirably 
suited— not  indeed  to  indulge  unwarrantable  curiosity,  but  to  ex- 
ercise our  faith,  to  call  forth  our  Christian  graces,  to  enliven  our 
hopes,  to  quicken  our  anticipation  of  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ;  and  meanwhile,  that  we  should  mark  with  so- 
berness the  gradual  development  of  progress  towards  this  glorious 
consummation.  It  is  far  more  profitable — instead  of  making  a 
framework  for  ourselves — to  be  looking  in  the  Lord's  best  time  for 
that  clear  reflection  of  light  in  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  which 
will  awe  even  the  most  inconsiderate  to  conviction.—"  This  is  the 
finger  of  God.     What  hath  God  wrought  l"^ 

3.  Let  the  subject  be  eve?'  considered  as  a  practical  study.  It 
is  a  sign  of  an  unhealthy,  excited  temperament,  if  the  prophetic 
parts  of  Scripture  be  more  interesting  than  the  preceptive — that  is — 
if  we  are  more  conversant  with  matters  of  uncertain  interpretation, 
than  with  the  subjects  that  relate  to  our  immediate  duty.  If  the 
prophetic  study  be  dissociated  from  its  practical  character  and  con- 
sequences, our  prepossessed  fancy  is  far  more  likely  to  give  the  in- 
terpretation than  the  Divine  Spirit.  The  blessing  belongs  to  those 
that  '•'■keep  the  things  that  are  written  in  the  words  of  this  proph- 
ecy."<  The  fruit  of  Daniel's  research  was  that  which  is  most  spe- 
cially needed  at  the  present  eventful  moment — intercession  for  the 
Churcli  and  for  the  land.'  Habakkuk  went  to  his  watch-tower — 
not  to  speculate  in  idle  curiosity,  but  as  we  have  before  hinted,  to 
be  in  readiness  to  hear  the  valuable  lessons  of  reproof  and  instruc- 
tion that  were  designed  for  hiin.^  Supposing  that  the  period  of 
accomplishment  is  far  distant,  yet  there  is  a  large  preparatory  work 
of  prayer,  exertion,  and  Christian  devotedness,  urgently  pressing 

1  Hab.  ii.  1. 

2  1  Chron.  xii.  32.  One  of  the  most  profound  and  sober  expositors  of  prophecy  well 
deserves  to  be  heard  on  this  point.  '  The  folly  of  interpreters,'  observes  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton, 'has  been  to  foretell  times  and  things  by  the  prophecy  of  the  Revelation,  as  if  God 
designed  to  make  them  prophets.  By  this  rashness  they  have  not  only  exposed  them- 
selves, but  brought  the  prophecy  also  into  contempt.  The  design  of  God,  when  he  gave 
them  this,  and  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament,  was,  not  to  gratify  men's  curiosity 
by  enabling  them  to  foreknow  things;  but  to  the  end  that,  after,  tht-y  were  fulfilled,  they 
might  be  interpreted  by  the  event ;  and  his  own  providence,  not  the  wisdom  and  skill  of 
the  interpreters,  be  thus  manifested  thereby  to  the  world.'  Bishop  Hurd  also  well  re- 
marks to  the  same  point,  that  '  the  declared  end  of  prophecy  is,  not  that  we  may  be  ena- 
bled by  it  to  foresee  things  before  they  come  to  pass  ;  but  that  when  they  come  to  pass, 
we  may  acknowledge  the  divine  Author  of  the  prophecy.'  (Serm.  VIII.)  'Even  the 
pophecies  of  Christ,'  as  the  same  author  observes,  (Serm.  V.)  'could  not  give  full  con- 
viction till  the  time  oftheir  accomplishment  had  arrived. 

3  Exodus  viii.  19.     Numbers  xxiii.  23.  *  Rev.  i.  3. 
5  Daniel  ix.  2,  3,  16—19.  6  Hab.  u.  1. 


90  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

upon  US.  And  far  better  shall  we  be  employed  in  girdino-  ourselves 
to  tlie  discharge  of  the  practical  obligations  of  prophecy,  than  in 
minutely  tracing  out  the  conjectured  period  and  mode  of  its  fidfil- 
ment,  and  in  attempting  to  narrow  its  wide  and  comprehensive 
sphere  by  uncertain  application  to  the  little  particularities  of  our 
own  time  and  place.  Is  there  no  danger,  while  fixing  the  dates, 
and  describing  the  circumstantials  of  the  grand  coming  events — lest 
we  forget  that  every  page  of  prophecy  is  a  direct  personal  revelation 
to  our  own  souls,  and  lest  we  too  slightly  regard  those  clearest  pre- 
dictions of  the  sacred  page— the  promises  of  God  to  his  people,  and 
his  threatenings  to  the  unbelieving  world  !  May  not  even  the  com- 
prehensive rule  of  '-seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God,"  in  "right- 
eousness, peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  be  sometimes  unhap- 
pily subordinated  to  the  absorbing  interest  awakened  by  the  glow- 
ing prospects  of  the  Millennial  reign'?' 

How  much  has  been  lost  to  the  church  by  a  speculative  contem- 
plation of  the  prophetic  view  of  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  second  ad- 
vent !  If,  instead  of  filling  up  the  outlines  more  from  the  resources 
of  imagination  than  from  the  substance  of  Scripture,  the  faith  of 
the  church  had  been  singly  fixed  upon  the  glory  of  tliis  consum- 
mating event;  and  intensely  exercised  in  the  glow  of  expectancy, 
how  diiferent  would  have  been  her  aspect  at  the  present  moment ! 
What  a  bond  of  union  would  have  subsisted  among  her  members  ! 
What  an  atmosphere  of  love  would  have  pervaded  her  territory  ! 
What  a  spring  of  holy  consecration  v/ould  have  been  in  extended 
activity  !  It  ill  becomes  servants,  looking  for  the  return  of  their  ab- 
sent lord,  to  spend  themselves  in  discussing  the  mode  and  circum- 
stantials of  his  coming,  when  they  might  be  far  more  suitably  em- 
ployed in  preparing  the  house  for  his  reception,  and  in  readiness  to 
give  an  immediate  answer  to  his  welcome  knock  \'^ 

The  obscurity  that  hangs  over  the  precise  period  of  our  Lord's 
coming  is  indeed  a  most  wise  and  gracious  dispensation,  to  in- 
vigorate the  church  in  every  age  with  the  high  privilege  and  obli- 
gation of  looking  for  this  triumphant  crisis.  Whatever  views  there- 
fore tend  merely  to  captivate  the  imagination,  to  gratify  curiosity, 
and  thus  to  divert  the  attention  from  the  present  duties  connected 
with  this  anticipation — these  must  be  regarded  as  the  unscriptural 
delusions  of  man's  conceit.  This  spirit  of  constant  expectancy  mly 
be  considered  as  the  perfecting  feature  of  the  Christian  character.^ 
It  concentrateis  all  the  practical  and  animating  exercises  of  the 
Gospel.  What  an  encouragement  does  it  supply  to  the  assurance 
of  faith  !^  What  a  stimulus  to  activity,^  devotedness,*^  abounding 
love,^  heavenly  conversation, ^  sobriety  of  spirit,^  readiness  of  habit,'" 

'  Matt.  vi.  38.     Romans  xiv.  17,  with  Luke  xvii.  21.  a  Luke  xii.  35,  36. 

3  See  I  Cor.  i.  7.  *  Heb.  x.  37,  38. 

5  Miitthew  XXV.  35—40.     Luke  xix.  13—26.     2  Peter  i.  5—1 1 . 

6  Rev.  xvi.  15;  xxii.  7.  ''1  Thess.  iii.  12,  13.     Compare  James  ¥.9. 

8  Phil.  iii.  20,  21.     2  Peter  iii.  11—14. 

9  Luke  xxi.  34.     Phil.  iv.  5.     1  Thnss  v.  1— S.     1  Peter  i.  13;  iv.  7. 

i«  Luke  xii.  35—10. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  91 

and  watchful  preparation  for  eternity  !'  What  support  does  it 
furnish  in  the  hour  of  trial,  whether  from  the  immediate  visitations 
of  God,^  or  the  persecuting  enmity  of  man  I'  What  materials  does 
it  give  for  personal  edification,^  compassionate  labors  for  the  uncon- 
verted,5  and  mutual  exhortation^  and  comfort'  in  ihe  church  of 
God  !  How  cheering  is  the  prospect  which  it  holds  out  of  complete 
transformation  into  the  image  of  our  beloved  Lord  !^  What  pa- 
tient hope^  and  joyful  anticipation'"  does  it  bring  into  the  waiting 
soul !  So  eminently  practical — so  richly  consolatory — is  the  be- 
lieving and  habitual  contemplation  of  the  coming  of  our  Lord  !  In- 
deed when  we  realize  the  hope  of  body  and  soul  at  this  blissful  era 
being  equal  participants  of  the  eternal  redemption" — the  happiness 
of  every  niember  of  the  body  consummated  in  the  complete  glorifi- 
cation of  the  whole  body— and  the  church,  "filled  with  all  the 
fulness  of  God,"  presenting  to  the  universe  the  entire  "fulness  of 
Him  that  filleth  all  in  all'"- — we  may  well  conceive,  that  never 
was  an  event  so  joyful  known  on  earth  since  the  fall  of  man.  We 
wonder  not  that  "  the  whole  creation,"  now  "groaning  and  travail- 
ing together  in  pain"  under  the  ruins  of  sin.  should  then  be  awak- 
ened to  joyful  exultation  in  its  "  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of 
corruption  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God."'^ 

This  scriptural  privilege  of  expectancy  was  however  inculcated 
upon  the  church,  while  the  event  which  it  contemplated  could  only 
be  seen  through  the  long  vista  of  some  thousand  years.  It  was  in- 
tended therefore,  not  necessarily  to  imply  the  approach  of  the  grand 
crisis,'^  but  to  mark  the  habit  of  mind  with  which  it  should  be 
awaited.  The  delineation  of  this  habit  which  has  just  been  given, 
evidently  includes  all  the  essential  principles  of  sanctification  and 
of  happiness.  We  cannot  therefore  but  see  sufficient  reason  for  the 
large  space  which  the  event  occupies  in  the  enforcement  of  Chris- 
tian obligation,  and  the  prospects  of  Christian  hope.  Our  divine 
Saviour  is  brought  eternally  near  to  his  people. '^  His  perfect  like- 
ness is  the  immediate  consequence  of  his  vision."^  His  glory  is  their 
everlasting  joy.'' 

It  is  painful  to  reflect,  that  a  speculative  study  of  prophecy  should 
have  so  materially  injured  the  influence  of  those  prospects  of  the 
church  upon  her  present  duties  and  privileges.  The  minute  de- 
scriptive details,  that  have  been  sometimes  connected  with  the 
coming  of  Christ  in  his  kingdom  (not  to  speak  of  their  doubt- 
ful scriptural  authority,  and  their  closer  alliance  to  earth   than 

iMatt.  xxiv.  42;  XXV.  13.     Luke  xxi.  26.     1  Thess.  v.  9— 18.     Rev.xvi.  15. 

2  1  Thess.  iv.  13.  i  2  Thess.  i.  6—10.  4  Jude  14,  15,  with  20,  21. 

5  Ibid,  with  22,  23.  6  Heb.  X.  2.5.  7  i  Thess.  iv.  16— 18:  v.  8— 11. 

8  Phil.  i.  6 ;  iii.  21.     1  Thess.  v.  23,  24.     1  John  iii.  2. 

9  2  Thess.  iii.  5.     James  v.  7,  8. 

">  Isaiah  xxv.  9;  xxvi.  19.     Luke  xxi  28.     Rom.  xii.  11.     Titus  ii.  13. 
»'  Romans  viii.  23.     Pliil.  iii.  21.  12  Eph.  iii.  19  ;  i.  23. 

•3  Psalm  xcvi.  11—13;  xcviii.  5—9.     Rom.  viii.  21,  22 

n  See  th(>  mistake  on  this  point  corrected  in  the  Thessalonian  church,  2  Thess.  ii.  1—2, 
15  Rev.  iii.  Ii);  vii,  15—17.  is  1  John  iii.  2. 

iJ  Matthew  xxv,  21.    John  xvii.  24.     Rev.  iii.  21. 


92  MEMOIR    OF    MARV    JANE    GRAHAM. 

to  heaven)  have  a  strong  tendency  to  repress  a  spiritual  contem- 
plation of"  this  great  event.'  Even  the  details  given  in  the  pro- 
phetic books  are  much  under  the  veil.  Interpreters  expound  them 
according  to  the  principles  of  their  different  S3'stems  :  and  after  all 
their  diligence  and  labor,  much  is  left  unexplained,  or  resting  upon 
conjectural  support.  In  these  things  the  writer  is  content  to  "  walk 
by  faith,  not  by  sight."'^  AH  that  is  necessary  is  revealed.  We 
sliall  be  as  iiappy  as  God  can  make  us.  As  to  any  precise  knowl- 
edge, "  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."^  And  such 
knowledge  we  want  not.  It  exhibits  a  far  more  enlarged  ex- 
pectancy to  be  assured,  tliat  it  will  be  something  that  we  neither 
know  nor  can  know — interminable  bliss  without  sin,  and  with 
Christ.  Our  happiness  centres  in  the  certainty  and  glory,  not  in 
the  circumstantials,  of  the  event.  And  surely  the  "  shaking  of 
earth  and  heaven,"^  which  seems  to  be  at  hand,  will  quicken  the 
cry  for  our  expected  Lord — 'Come  quickly,  take  to  thyself  the  king- 
dom, and  reign  with  all  thy  saints.'  The  waiting  Christian,  in 
these  times  of  special  trial  of  the  church,  "lifts  up  his  head"  full 
of  joy  and  expectation.^  Faith  overcomes  the  tremendous  thought 
of  wrath  and  judgment,  as  the  harbingers  of  his  coming;"  and 
still  the  cry  is  re-echoed  to  the  solemn  declaration — "  Surely  I 
come  quickly  ;   Amen.     Even  so,  come.  Lord  Jesus.'"' 

III. — ON    CHRISTIAN    EXPERIENCE     AND    PRACTICAL    RELIGION. 

Miss  Graham's  correspondence,  flowing  in  an  easy  and  natural 
strain,  will  be  generally  interesting.  Even  where  no  striking  fea- 
tures are  visible,  an  affectionate  earnestness,  tender  sympathy,  and 
a  direct  application  of  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel  to  the  several 
cases  of  her  friends  cannot  fail  of  being  observed. 

The  following  letter  appears  to  have  been  written  to  a  friend, 
newly  awakened  to  concern  for  her  eternal  interests. 

'  November,  1826. 
'  I  fancy  that  you  have  for  some  time  past  felt  a  conviction,  that 
religion  is  something  more  than  you  used  to  think  it,  more  than  the 
world  in  general  seem  to  think  it.     But  yet  perhaps,  you  do  not  see 

1  Bishop  Hall's  beautiful  meditations  were  not  less  suited  to  our  day  than  to  his — '  O 
blessed  Saviour,  what  a  strange  variety  of  conceits  do  I  find  concerning  thy  thousand 
years' reign !  What  riddles  are  there  in  that  prophecy^  which  no  huii»an  tongue  can 
read!  Where  fix  to  the  beginning  of  that  marvellous  niillennary,  and  where  the  end, 
and  what  manner  of  reign  it  shall  be,  whether  temporal  or  spiritual,  on  earth  or  in  hea- 
ven, undcrtroes  as  many  constructions  as  there  are  pens  that  have  undertaken  it.  How 
busy  are  the  tongues  of  men  !  How  are  their  brains  taken  up  with  the  endless  construc- 
tion of  this  eniinnatical  truth,  when  in  the  mean  time  the  care  of  the  spiritual  reign  in 
their  hearts  is  neglected.  O  my  Saviour,  while  others  weary  themselves  with  this  dis- 
quisition of  thy  personal  reign  upon  earth  for  a  thousand  years — let  it  be  the  whole  bent 
and  study  of  my  soul,  to  make  sure  of  my  personal  reign  with  thee  in  heaven  to  all  eter- 
niy. 

2  2  Cor.  V.  7.  3  1  John  iii.  2.  *  Heb.  xii.  26,  27. 
5  See  Luke  xxi.  28.                  ^  2  Thess.  i.  8.     Rev.  i.  7.          ">  Rev.  xxii.  20. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  93 

very  clearly,  what  more  it  is  that  religion  requires  of  you.     You 
see  that  there  is  notluiig  in  this  vain  world  capable  of  satisfying  the 
desires  of  your  immortal  spirit ;  but  you  do  not  clearly  comprehend 
what  there  is  in  religion  to  satisfy  all  our  desires.     You  seek  the 
Lord ;  but  you  do  not  yet  feel  as  if  you  had  found  Him.     You 
probably  spend  much  time  in  reading  the  Scriptures  ;  but  sometimes 
they  seem  obscure  and  unintelligible,  sometimes  dry  and  uninter- 
esting.    You  often  pray;  but  do  not  always  find  either  comfort  or 
delight  iu  prayer.     Sometimes  you  feel  as  if  you  could  give  up 
every  earthly  enjoyment  for  one  glimpse  of  that  "  love  of  Christ 
which  passeth  knowledge  ;"  and  at  other  times  it  seems  to  you  very 
foolish  and    unreasonable  to  pretend    to  more  religion  than  olher 
people.     This  is  what  many  feel  who  are  beginning  to  be  very 
anxious  about  religion.     I  cannot  help  indulging  a  strong  hope, 
that  you  will  soon  find  in  the  love  of  Jesus  all  that  you  want  to 
make  you  happy  ;  only  let  me  beg  of  you  to  seek  Him  simply, 
under  the  conviction  that  we  can  neither  do  nor  think  anything 
good  without  Him  ;  that  "  every  thought  is  evil,  only  evil,  and  that 
continually  ;"'  and  that,  while  we  continue  in  this  state,  we  cannot 
understand  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  because  they  will  appear 
"  foolishness  to  us.  '*     The  change  which  every  person  must  un- 
dergo, before  they  can    truly    receive   Christ   as    their    Saviour,  is 
described  in  terms  no  les^  striking—"  Ye  must  be  horn  again.y^ 
"If  any  man  be  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  new  creatw'e  ;  old  things 
are  passed  away  ;   behold  !  all  things  are  become  new  !"*     In  other 
parts  it  is  described  as  a  change  from  death  unto  life,  "  from  dark- 
ness to  light,  from  the  power  of  Satan  to  God."''     But  I  will  not 
multiply  instances.     Surely  such  a  change  as  this  cannot  be  the 
cold,  wordly,  heartless  religion,  with  which  the  generality  of  people 
sit  down  satisfied!     Surely  it  is  a  change  we  have  no  power  to 
make  in  ourselves.      When  God  "breathed  into  man's  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life,"  it  was  a  wonderful  act  of  his  creating  power.«     But 
when  he  breathes  spiritual  hfe  into  the  soul  of  one  "  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins,"  this  seems  more  wonderful ;  and  yet  this  is  what 
we  vainly  think  we  can  do  ourselves.     But  if  we  can  once  be  con- 
vinced, that  we  are  so  utterly  worthless  and  sinful,  that  none  but 
Christ  can  save  us,  then  we  shall  go  to  Him  for  everything.     If  we 
want  repentance,  wisdom,  holiness,  salvation,  all  these  are  His  to 
give  ;  He  promises  to  give  them  to  every  one  that  asks  Him.     O  be 
much  in  prayer  to  this  precious  Saviour  !     He  has  declared,  that 
none  shall  seek  him    in  vain.     Those  who  leave  trusting  olf  in 
themselves,  and  cling  with  a  single  and  undivided  heart  to  the  cross 
of  Christ,  and  "  count  everything  else  but  loss,  so  they  may  win 
Christ   and   be    found   in  Him"" — what  words  can  describe    their 
blessedness  !     How  true  it  is,  that  those  who  seek  happiness  in  any- 

1  Gen.  vi.  5.  2  1  Cor.  ii.  14.  ^  John  iii.  7. 

i  2  Cor.  V.    17.  5  Acts  xxvi.  18.  «  Gen.  ii.  7. 

7  Phil.  iii.  7—9. 


94  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

thing  except  Christ  Jesus,  are  '•  hewing  out  to  themselves  hroken 
cisterns  that  can  hold  no  water  !"  Come  then,  my  most  dearly 
loved  friend,  come  with  me  to  "the  fountain  of  living  waters" — 
come  to  Him  who  has  said — ^"  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to 
me,  and  drink''' — as  if  he  had  said — ■'  If  there  he  any  poor  sinner, 
who  has  begun  to  find  out  that  the  pleasures  of  this  world  camiot 
quench  his  thirst  after  happiness,  if  he  long  for  something  less  vain 
and  empty  and  unsatisfying,  let  him  come  unto  me.'  Do  you 
desire  to  give  yourself  to  Christ,  to  make  Him  your  all  in  all? 
Then  let  not  any  fears  or  misgivings  keep  you  away  from  Him.  for 
He  "  waits  to  be  gracious"  to  you.  Your  sins  need  not  keep  you 
away  ;  for  He  came  to  call  sinners.  He  calls  Himself  the  friend  of 
sinners  :  and  indeed,  till  you  are  taught  by  his  Spirit,  how  exceed- 
ingly sinful  you  are,  you  cannot  prize  Him  as  you  ought.  Let  me 
entreat  you  often  to  dwell  on  the  '-precious  promises"  of  Scripture. 
Remeiuber,  that  "  in  Him  all  the  promises  are  yea  and  amen  ;"  and 
if  we  plead  in  his  name  for  their  fulfilment,  the  truth  and  faithful- 
ness of  God  who  cannot  he  stand  engaged  to  perform  them  for  us. 
There  is  one  in  particular  which  seems  to  me  full  of  encouragen)ent ; 
it  describes  so  fully  the  state  of  heart  we  want,  and  promises  to 
give  wliat  it  describes  to  those  who  inquire  of  the  Lord.  See  Ezek. 
xxxvi.  25 — 37.' 

The  next  letter  is  of  a  later  date,  and  implies  a  more  distinct 
advance  of  Christian  knowledge  in  her  friend. 

'Let  me  use  the  privilege  of  friendship,  and  entreat  you  to  look 
less  at  the  dark  side  of  yoiu"  prospects,  and  more  at  the  unspeakable 
mercies  with  which  God  has  favored  you ;  particularly  that  he  hag 
given  you  the  greatest  blessing  he  has  to  give,  in  calling  you  to 
become  his  reconciled  child  b)'^  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  having 
given  you  an  interest  in  his  Son,  "shall  he  not  with  him  freely  give 
you  all  things  /"'^ — all  things  that  are  good  for  you,  my  dear  friend. 
If  therefore  your  wishes  are  not  satisfied,  it  must  be,  because  it  is 
not  for  your  good  to  satisfy  them.  Your  lot  has  been  chosen  out 
for  you  by  one,  who  is  infinitely  wise  and  kind,  as  the  very  best  for 
your  present  and  eternal  happiness,  and  "  He  doeth  all  things  well." 
You  will  ultimately  find  peace  in  religion  ;  I  am  sure  you  will ; 
and  in  the  meantime  is  it  not  a  blessing  that  you  are  not  permitted 
to  take  up  your  rest  here,  and  find  the  false  destroying  peace,  which 
so  many  experience  in  wordly  enjoyments?  What  if  you  were  to 
ask  God  in  Christ's  name  for  the  fulfilment  of  such  a  promise  as 
this — "  Behold,  I  will  bring  in  health  and  cure, and  I  will  heal  him, 
and  will  reveal  unto  him  the  abundance  of  peace  and  of  truth"^ — - 
would  he  deny  you  ?  Considering  that  no  promise  of  scripture  "is 
of  private  interpretation" — not  meant  for  one  part  of  the  church,  or 
one  age  of  it,  but  for  the  whole  flock  of  Christ  noio,  and  every 
member  of  it,  and  therefore  for  ijou — considering  too,  "  that  all  the 
promises  of  God  are  yea  and  amen  to  lis  in  Christ  Jesus  ;"^  and 

'  John  vii.  37.  *  Romans  viii.  32.  3  Jer.  xxxiLi.  6.  *  2  Cor.  i.  20. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  95 

that  Christ  himself  has  said—"  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  my 
name,  /  ivill  give  it  yoiC^ — what  encouragement  have  we  to 
take  these  promises  to  God  in  prayer,  to  wresile  with  him,  and 
declare  with  holy  confidence — "I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou 
bless  me  !"'^  Oh  !  he  would  bless  you  ;  and  his  "  blessing  maketh 
rich,  and  he  addeih  no  sorrow  loith  it.''^^  My  dear  friend,  you 
must  come  to  God  thus,  and  "  give  him  no  rest,"  till  he  grant  you 
the  promised  blessing.  You  must  not  take  a  denial.  May  the 
Spirit  of  prayer  be  abundantly  poured  out  upon  you  !  It  is  our 
privilege  to  take  our  sins  and  sorrows,  and  cast  them  upon  Christ; 
he  has  already  borne  their  agonizing  weight ;  why  should  we  groan 
under  them?  "Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord."  Would  that  I 
could  act  as  I  advise  !  But  I  fall  very,  very  far  short.  Even  my 
desires  after  this  state  of  mind  are  miserably  faint  and  cold  ;  but  let 
us  both  take  comfort  in  the  reflection,  that  we  are  accepted  in 
Christ ;  "  complete  in  him  ;"^  beloved,  not  for  our  deservings,  but 
for  his  ;'  and  his  are  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever." 
When  we  fail,  Christ  remains  the  same  ;  and  it  is  for  the  sake  of 
what  he  has  done,  that  God  will  accept  us ;  not  for  anything  we 
can  do  ;   or  we  might  indeed  go  mourning  all  the  day  long.' 

These  letters  mark  the  general  tone  of  Miss  Graham's  correspon- 
dence, in  affectionate  counsel  and  Scriptural  encouragement.  The 
case  to  which  they  primarily  refer  is  among  the  most  diliicult  and  deli- 
cate within  the  compass  of  Christian  instruction.  No  service  is  more 
valuable  to  (he  sincere  but  intelligent  inquirer,  than  to  enter  into 
his  case  with  tenderness,  forbearance,  and  anxious  consideration  of 
his  difficulties.  Vague  and  ill-defined  directions  throw  but  little 
light  upon  his  path.  Even  the  primary  and  immediate  counsel, 
guiding  him  to  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  needs  a  present  and  partic- 
ular application  to  his  individual  state.  His  dilTiculties  will,  indeed, 
vary  according  to  his  simplicity,  sinceritj'-,  and  earnestness.  But, 
under  all  circumstances,  the  instant  duty  of  believing  in  Christ 
must  be  inculcated.  No  deficiency  of  spiritual  apprehensions  must 
be  allowed  to  hinder  immediate  attention  "  to  this  work  of  God.'" 

1  John  xiv.  14.  2  Gen.  xxxii.  26.  3  Prov.  x.  2-2. 

*  Colossians  ii.  10.  5  Ephcsians  i.  6. 

^  John  vi.  28,  29.  This  instant  duty  of  believing  is  however  questioned  by  some  ofour 
modern  religionists — either  as  seeming  to  imply  a  natural  power  to  believe,  or  as  incon- 
sistent with  the  manifest  inability  to  believe  without  a  Divine  principle.  But  our  Lord 
inculcated  the  duty  upon  the  unbelieving  multitude,  in  this  passage,  in  ankwer-  to  their 
professed  inquiry  upon  the  subject  of  duty.  He  subsequently  enforced  it  upon  the  same 
class  of  hc;irers  (John  xii.  36,  with  37 — 4(J.)  Besides,  as  sin  is  the  neglect  or  resistance 
of  obligation,  if  faith  be  not  the  duty  of  the  unconverted,  unbelief  is  not  their  sin — conse- 
quently— not  what  the  Gospel  repeatedly  declares  it  to  be — the  primary  ground  of  their 
condemnation  (John  iii.  18,  19;  xii.  48;  xvi.  8,  9;  2  Thessalonians  ii.  iO,  11.)  This  sys- 
tem of  measuring  duty  by  ability,  and  of  admitting  inability  to  cancel  obligation,  equally 
annuls  every  exercise  of  love  and  obedience,  by  which  man  is  connected  with  his  God, 
but  for  which  he  is  no  less  incapacitated,  than  for  the  spiritual  habit  of  fltith.  It  argues 
also  a  forgetfulness  of  the  justice  of  the  Divine  requirements,  and  of  the  responsibility  of 
that  sinful  inclination,  which  constitutes  the  principle  of  his  impotency  to  comply  with 
them.  The  commission  of  the  Gospel  is  an  universal  call  both  to  repentance  and  faith. 
(Mark  i.  15;  xvi.  15,  Ifi;  Acts  xvii.  30.)  The  cross  of  Christ  is  held  up  to  the  whole 
world.     (Isaiah  xlv.  22.)     The  Holy  Spirit  employs  its  awakening  and  attractive  influ- 


96  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

The  Gospel  was  not  intended  to  answer  the  question — "  What 
shall  I  do,  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  lifef'^  But  it  affords  a 
satisfactory  reply  to  a  question  more  nearly  interesting  to  the  con- 
dition of  a  sinner — '•'  How  can  man.  he  just  toith  God  f'^  It  opens, 
by  the  insirumentality  of  faith,  a  free,  immediate,  universally  ac- 
cessible way  to  favorable  acceptance  with  our  offended  God.  No 
perplexing  course  of  preparatory  discipline  is  required.  All  are  in- 
vited without  limitation,  without  delay.  Infinite  mercy  and  grace 
are  provided  for  infinite  need.  Only  those  that  feel  will  ask ;  and 
all  that  ask  shall  have.  Thus  a  sense  of  sin  is  the  prerequisite, 
without  which  no  man  will  come  (for  "the  whole  need  not  the 
physician"^) ;  but  it  is  no  part  of  the  warrant  to  come.  The  Scrip- 
ture has  nowhere  prescribed  any  uniform  rule,  or  measured  out  the 
precise  extent  of  necessary  conviction.  All  constitutions  are  not 
formed  alike  ;  and  therefore  pungency  is  no  certain  proof  of  sin- 
cerity. Many  are  brought  without  a  process  of  painful  exercise  to 
a  simple  and  clear  reception  of  the  truth. 

The  soul  is  as  welcome  to  Christ  at  the  first  moment  of  invita- 
tion as  at  any  successive  period  ;  and  protracted  conflict  manifests 
only  the  stubborn  power  of  unbelief — a  sin,  which  the  spirit  of  God 
will  not  fail  to  apply  as  matter  of  humiliating  conviction.^  To  in- 
sist therefore  upon  a  determined  measure  or  intensity  of  well-de- 
fined conviction  as  a  preparation  to  faith,  is  an  infringement  upon 
the  freene~s  and  simplicity  of  the  Gospel.  The  law  also,  as  the  in- 
strument to  produce  this  conviction,*  nuist  be  used  in  immediate 
connection  with  Christ.  He  is  the  life  ;  and  if  he  be  not  set  forth 
at  the  commencement,  there  will  be  only  ihe  temporary  and  un- 
satisfactory change  from  a  state  of  indifference  to  a  state  of  bond- 
age, without  any  effective  principle  of  holiness  or  of  privilege  ;  and 
the  man  will  be  satisfied  without  that  entire  simplicity  of  faith  and 
self  dedication  so  indispensable  to  salvation.  Even  in  the  ex- 
hibition of  Christ,  the  mind  of  the  inquirer  must  be  diverted  from  a 
too  minute  and  anxious  analysis  of  its  own  exercises  of  faith  to  a 
fixed  contemplation  of  the  glorious  Person  presented  to  view.  The 
emphasis  of  the  invitation  is,  "  Look — Come  tmto  7«e."^  The  first 
sensation  of  rest  will  be  connected  not  with  a  precise  knowledge  of 
our  own  feelings,  but  with  an  entire  dependence  upon  the  work  of 
Christ.  Though  self-examination  is  intimately  connected  with  the 
prosperity  and  advance  of  the  Christian  life  ;  yet  it  must  never  be 
employed  to  originate  our  peace  and  hope  in  the  Gospel ;  but  to  as- 
certain the  reality  of  our  hope  ;  to  detect  false  confidence  and  back- 
sliding ;  to  bring  to  us  the  warranted  enjoyment  of  "  the  testimony 
of  our  consciences,"  in  regard  to  the  consistency  of  our  profession;'' 

ence  ns  the  means  of  quickening  sinners  to  life.  (John  xii.  32.)  Thus  the  grace  ofGoJ 
is  glorified,  while  the  wilful  unbelief  of  man  alone  excludes  him  from  the  free  justifica- 
tion of  the  Gosj)cl,  and  consequently  leaves  him  without  excuse. 

I  Mark  x.  17.  -  Joh  ix.  2.  3  Matthew  ix.  12. 

4  See  John  xvi.  8,  9. 

5  See  Rom.  iii.  20;  vii.  7.     Galalians  iii.  21.     Compare  Matthew  xix.  17— 20. 

«  Isaiah  xlv.  22.     Matt.  xi.  28.  '  See  2  Cor.  i.  12. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  97 

and  to  mark  our  progress  in  knowledge,  experience,  and  practical 
devotedness.  One  further  point  connected  with  the  case  of  the  in- 
quirer is  of  indispensable  moment.  He  may  be  assured,  that  there 
is  no  indefinitely  future  period— no  "day  of  the  Lord's  power" 
more  favorable  for  his  acceptance  than  the  present ;  and  that  no 
deticiency  of  knowledge  can  acquit  him  of  the  obligation  of  an  in- 
stant surrender  of  himself  to  God.  This  very  moment  the.  Lord 
demands  his  unreserved  faith,  and  his  whole  heart ;  and  every 
delay  brings  a  fresh  charge  of  guilty  widens  the  distance,  and 
increases  the  difficulty. 

The  following  letter,  written  about  two  months  before  her  death, 
gives  an  interesting  view  of  her  own  search  after  truth,  and  marks 
a  discriminating  apprehension  of  the  Gospel. 

'  Stoke  Fleming,  Oct.  1830. 
'I  am  grieved  that  you  should  for  a  moment  imagine  that  I  think 

our  dear must  be  lost,  because  she  does  not  subscribe  to  the 

doctrines  of  Calvin.  I  do  not  myself  so  much  as  know  what  all 
Calvin's  doctrines  are,  or  whether  I  should  subscribe  to  them  my- 
self. 1  have  read  one  book  of  Calvin's,  many  parts  of  which  pleased 
me  much  ;  I  mean  his  Institutes,  which  Bishop  Horsley  says  ought 
to  be  in  every  clergyman's  library.  Further  than  this  I  know  no- 
thing of  Calvin,  orchis  opinions.  I  certainly  did  not  form  one  sin- 
gle opinion  from  his  book,  for  I  had  formed  all  my  opinions  long 
before  from  the  Bible.'  You  may  remember  my  telling  you  that 
some  years  ago  I  declined  greatly,  almost  entirely  (inwardly)  from 
the  ways  of  God,  and  in  my  breast  was  an  infidel,  a  disbeliever  in 
the  truths  of  the  Bible.  When  the  Lord  brought  me  out  of  that 
dreadful  state,  and  established  my  faith  in  his  word,  1  determined 
to  take  that  word  alone  for  my  guide.  I  read  nothing  else  for  be- 
tween three  and  four  months,  and  the  Lord  helped  me  to  pray  over 
every  word  that  I  read.  At  that  time,  and  from  that  reading,  all 
my  religious  opinions  were  formed,  and  I  have  not  clianged  one  of 
them  since.     I  knew   noihing   then   of  Calvin.     I   have  said    so 

much,  dear .  because  I  think  it  a  very  wicked  thing  to  do,  as 

you  seem  to  think  I  do,  to  call  Calvin  or  any  man  "  master  on 
earth,"  or  to  make  any  human  writer  our  guide  in  spiritual  things. 
Chririt  only  should  be  our  niaster,  and  his  word  our  guide,  and  his 
Spirit  our  teacher  ;  and  that  Holy  Spirit  will  be  given  to  us  if  we 
ask  for  it.  But  I  suppose  by  the  doctrines  of  Calvin  you  meant 
the  doctrine  of  predestination,  v,'hich  Calvin,  in  common  witli  many 
other  of  God's  saints,  believed  and  preached.  My  belief  and  settled 
opinion  about  predestination,  you  will  find  expressed  more  clearly 
than  any  words  of  mine  can  do,  in  John  vi,  37,  39,  65.  Rom.  viii. 
23—30.  Rom.  ix.  Eph.  i.  3—6,  1 L  2  Thess.  ii.  13,  14.  2  Tim.  i. 
9, 10.  Titus  i.  1,  2.  1  Peter  i.  2—5.  1  John  iv.  19.  Rev.  xvii.  8. 
John  XV.  16.     I  also  join  in  every  word  of  the  17th  Article  of  our 

I  See  chap.  ii. 

7 


98  MEMOIR  OF  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM. 

church  ;  so  much  so,  that  if  asked  my  opinion  about  predestination, 
I  should  give  it  in  those  very  words,  from  the  impossibility  of  find- 
ing any  others,  which  in  so  short  a  space  expressed  my  meaning  so 
well.  But  as  this  article  is  only  of  human  authority,  1  should 
therefore  bring  forward  the  proof  from  the  Scriptures  of  that  God 
who  cannot  lie.  I  have  just  given  you  a  few  texts  as  they  struck 
me.  Tiicy  are,  I  believe,  enough  for  my  present  purpose  :  but  de- 
tached texts  lose  much  of  their  power:  it  is  the  whole  sense  of  the 
whole  Bible  that  should  determine  us  ;  and  since  "  the  natural  man 
receivelh  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  (for  they  are  foolish- 
ness to  him),"  let  us  pray  to  become  spiritual,  "  that  we  may  know 
the  things  that  are  freely  given  us  of  God."^  The  above  texts  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  my  opinion.  Indeed  some  of  them  are  exceed- 
ingly plain  and  strong,  and  full,  in  their  account  of  the  doctrine. 
I  endeavor  to  receive  them  as  a  little  child,  in  their  plain  literal 
meaning. 

'  But  to  return  to  our  dear ;  I  think  the  doctrine  of  elec- 
tion essential  to  the  comfort  and  consistency  of  our  walk  with 
God;  because  I  deem  it  essential  to  receive  the  whole  Bible,  and 
every  truth  contained  in  every  part  of  the  Bible,  without  partiality 
or  gainsaying.  But  I  do  not  consider  a  belief  in  the  doctrine  es- 
sentially necessary  to  salvation.  I  do  consider  a  simple  trust  in 
the  atonement  and  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  as  absolutely 

necessary  to  salvation.     If  then,  dearest ,  your  beloved  friend 

and  mitie  too  (for  I  do  most  sincerely  love  her),  possesses  this  sim- 
ple reliance  on  the  death  and  obedience  of  Christ  for  salvation, 
doubt  not  that  she  will  be  saved  ;  though  she  may  not  yet  have 
been  able  to  receive  those  high  and  humbling  doctrines  which  very 
few  Christians  do  receive  in  the  commencement  of  their  course,^ 
and  which  some  camiot  to  the  very  end  thoroughly  embrace. 
Many,  however,  I  think  embrace  the  actual  doctrine,  though  they 
cannot  bear  the  words  predestination,  election,  &.c. :  a  stran^-e  dis- 
like, since  both  words  happen  to  be  taken  from  Scripture.  My  be- 
loved   ■  would  have  been  quite  distressed,  had  I  supported  the 

doctrine  of  predestination  in  my  conversations  with  her  under  the 
name  of  predestination  ;  and  yet  we  often  conversed  on  the  thing 
itself,  and  sulijects  connected  with  it ;  nor  did  I  find  her  ideas  dif- 
fer greatly  from  mine.  "Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  is 
laid,  .Tcsus  Christ."  All  who  are  built  on  this  foundation,  who  are 
thus  founded  on  the  Rock  of  Ages,  must  be  secure.  '-Believe  on 
the  Lord  .lesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Acts.  xvi.  31,  &c. 
"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  ;  and  he  that 

'  1  Cor.  ii.  It  wilh  12. 
2  In  the  early  stacre  of  her  own  course  tliis  holy  iloctrino  had  excited  much  repucrnance, 
tliough  she  was  afterwards  enabled  to  receive  it  with  a  most  simple  and  child  like  faith, 
and  to  set  it  forth  (as  we  have  before  remarked)  with  a  clearness  of  statement  ami  power 
of  argument,  that  marked  the  richness  and  mnturily  of  her  theological  views  (See  her 
I'Veeness  of  Divine  Grace,  referred  to  at  p.  55.)  She  observes  to  her  cousin  the  stimulus 
and  support  which  she  had  received  from  this  doctrine  in  seasons  of  distressing  deadness 
in  her  spiritual  apprehensions. 


MKMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  99 

believeth  not  the  Son,  shall  not  see  life  ;  hit  the  wrath  of  God 
ahideth  on  h'lmP  John  iii.  36.  See  also  John  iii.  15, 16, 18  ;  v.  24 ; 
vi.  4!),  47  ;  xi.  25,  26,  (fcc' 

The  two  next  letters  are  of  the  class  of  tliose  wiiich  were  formerly 
adduced  in  illustration  of  her  clear  apprehensions  of  scriptural  truth. 
The  first  letter  introduces  some  incidental  notices  of  interest.  It 
seems  to  have  been  written  to  the  correspondent  whom  she  had 
formerly  addressed  on  the  subject  of  Christian  study. 

'  ^^toke  Flemings  Jan.  4,  1827. 
'My  own  DEAR  Friend, 

'  Every  letter  I  receive  from  you  gives  me  fresh  cause  of  thank- 
fulness, and  increases  my  hope,  that  you  have  learnt  of  Him  who 
teacheth,  and  will  certainly  never  leave  you  till  he  has  given  you 
that  '•  joy  and  peace  in  believing,"  which  all  His  children  sooner  or 
later  experience.  I  trust  that  the  love  of  my  God  to  you  will  be  a 
constant  source  of  thanksgiving  and  self-abasement  to  me:  for  oh  ! 
what  thanks  can  I  render  to  Him.  for  the  love  with  which  he  is  now 
calling  you  out  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of 
His  dear  Son?  And  how  can  I  ever  be  sufficiently  humbled,  when 
I  reflect  how  unfaithfully  and  inconsistently  I  have  acted  towards 
you  l  One  instance  in  particular  is  now  fresh  in  my  memory. 
You  once  asked  me  to  w^ite  to  you ;  and  I  put  it  off  from  day  to 
day,  till  at  last  I  wickedly  persuaded  myself  that  I  could  not  do  it 
at  all.  I  hope  you  will  forgive  this  cruel  neglect,  "as  God  for 
Christ's  sake  has  forgiven  you ;"  and  that  we  shall  be  enabled 
henceforth,  to  love  and  help  one  another  in  His  strength,  and  for 
His  sake. 

'  Dear ,  how  can  you  say  that  I  am  your  dearest  friend,  and 

only  comforter?  I  glory  in  the  thought,  that  you  have  a  friend, 
whose  love  is  stronger  than  death,  and  a  Comforter,  who  is  able  to 
make  you  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable;  and  to  whose  blessing  and 
inlluence  we  must  refer  it,  that  such  poor  helpless  and  sinful  crea- 
tures as  we  are,  can  ever  be  of  the  slightest  use  in  helping  or  com- 
forting each  other.  I  know  you  long  to  call  Jesus  your  Friend, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  your  Comforter;  and  where  does  this  longing 
come  from  ?  Not  surely  from  your  own  evil  heart ;  for  from  that 
corrupt  source  can  proceed  nothing  but  hatred  or  indifference  to 
God  and  His  ways.  Besides,  it  is  a  feeling  you  once  knew^  nothing 
of.  Believe  me — ^rather  believe  the  Scriptures  when  they  say — that 
every  desire  of  the  soul  after  God  is  itispired  by  Himself,  and  is  the 
fruit  of  His  own  free  love  in  Christ  .Tesus — "  I  have  loved  thee  with 
an  everlasting  love;  therefore  with  loving  kindness  have  I  drawn 
thee/'  "Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you."  "No 
man  can  come  to  me,  except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw 
him."  "  All  that  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me  ;  and  him 
that  Cometh  to  me  ;  1  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."^     Now,  do  you  not 

1  Jer.  xxxi.  3;  John  xv.  16;  vi.  44,  37. 


100  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

feel  yourself  drawn  towards  God  ?  Does  not  your  heart  sometimes 
choose  Cluist  in  preference  to  every  earthly  blessing  ?  Do  you  not 
come  to  Christ  in  prayer,  beseeching  Him  to  receive  you  ?  And  do 
not  the  texts  I  have  mentioned,  with  a  thousand  others  of  the  same 
import;  warrant  the  inference — that  you  "  come"  to  Christ,  because 
the  Father  hath  given  you  to  Christ,  and  draws  you  to  him  ;  that 
He  "  draws  you  with  loving-kindness,  because  he  has  loved  you 
with  an  everlasting  love  ;"  and  finally,  that  He  will  "  never  cast 
you  out  ?"  My  dear  friend,  I  would  not,  indeed  I  would  not,  flatter 
you  with  a  false  hope.  I  know  of  nothing  so  melancholy  as  the 
way  in  which  the  world  say—"  Peace,  peace  ;  to  themselves,  when 
there  is  no  peace"' — no  rational  ground  of  hope.  But  the  hope  of 
a  soul  convinced  of  sin,  renouncing  all  trust  in  its  own  righteousness, 
and  casting  itself  on  the  mercy  of  Jesus,  cannot  be  a  vain  or  pre- 
sumptuous hope  ;  because  it  is  founded  on  the  word  of  God.  You 
say,  you  feel  so  wicked  and  so  worthless,  that  you  dare  not  hope. 
Now  till  you  felt  yourself  to  be  both  exceedingly  wicked  and  worth- 
less, you  could  not  be  a  fit  object  of  Christ's  grace,  who  says,  "They 
that  be  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  tiiat  are  sick.  I  came 
not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance."^  I  know  that 
many,  when  they  first  come  to  a  sense  of  their  own  sinfulness,  think 
something  in  this  way  :  'Christ  will  never  receive  so  vile  a  sinner 
as  I  am  :  I  must  repent,  and  pray,  and  try  to  make  myself  a  little 
better  ;  and  then  perhaps  I  may  deserve  his  favor.'  Alas  !  they 
know  not  that  repentance  and  prayer  are  his  free  gifts,  and  instead 
of  praying  for  the  pardon  we  receive,  are  themselves  a  part  of  it. 
Would  it  not  have  been  as  reasonable  for  the  leper  to  have  waited, 
till  he  could  cleanse  himself  from  his  leprosy;  the  blind  man.  until 
his  sight  was  improved  :  or  the  sick  of  the  palsy,  till  he  could  take 
up  his  bed  and  walk,  before  they  would  come  to  Jesus  to  be  healed? 
The  first  chapter  of  Romans,  from  the  18th  to  the  32nd  verse,  gives 
an  awful  description  of  the  stale  of  every  man's  heart  by  nature; 
and  though  education  and  the  restraints  of  civilized  society  have 
prevented  the  breaking  out  of  sin  in  the  dreadful  and  open  way  in 
which  it  was  indulged  among  the  heathen,  still  1  think  every  person 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  sin,  will  perceive  in  it,  as  in  a  glass,  their 
own  image  :  at  least  they  will  acknowledge,  that  the  seed  of  every 
sin  is  in  their  heart,  especially  that  most  unnatural  and  truly  dia- 
bolical sin,  of  "  worshipping  and  serving  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator."  And  lest  we  should  imagine  that  living  in  a  country 
wiiere  God  is  known,  and  joining  in  acts  of  outward  religion,  can 
make  the  heart  really  better,  till  it  is  converted  to  God  ;  the  Apostle 
goes  on,  in  the  second  and  third  chapters,  to  prove  that  the  Jew  is 
no  better  than  the  Gentile;  that  "there  is  no  difference;  every 
mouth  must  be  stopped,  and  all  the  world  become  guilty  before 
God."     And  it  is  immediately  after  having  given  us  such  an  awful 

I  Jer.  vi.  14.  2  Matt,  ix.  12,  13. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  101 

view  of  our  state,  in  the  sight  of  God,  that  he  goes  on  to  hold  out 
free  and  unconditional  salvation,  to  all  wiio  simply  trust  in  the 
death  and  righteousness  of  Christ.  But  I  doubt  not,  you  will  soon 
perceive,  to  your  comfort,  how  very  free  the  offers  of  grace  in  the 
Gospel  are.  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  one  more  instance  ;  it  is 
in  the  parable  of  the  two  debtors,  in  the  seventh  of  Luke — "  And 
when  they  had  nothing  to  pay  ^  \\Q  frankly  forgave  them  all."  It 
is  when  we  are  brought  to  this  feeling,  that  we  "  have  nothing  to 
pay,"  that  our  hearts  are  in  a  fit  state  to  receive  with  eagerness  and 
delight  the  "frank  forgiveness"  of  our  Saviour;  then  we  give  Him 
all  the  glory  of  it.  Smely  you  and  I  feel  ourselves  to  be  in  the 
situation  of  the  debtors  who  owed  most.  We  have  nothing  to  pay  ; 
and  sometimes  I  think  I  can  even  rejoice  in  this  extremity  of  poverty, 
since  it  hides  pride  and  boasting  from  me,  and  makes  the  mercy  of 
God  appear  so  divinely  infinite.  1  do  not  know,  that  yon  have  any 
reason  for  fancying  that  you  shall  die  young  :  but  though  the 
thoughts  of  deatli  are  useful  to  all,  and  delightful  to  those  whose 
sins  are  forgiven  for  Jesus'  sake,  I  think  we  ought  rather  to  be 
willing  to  live  as  long  as  our  heavenly  Father  pleases,  in  hopes  of 
being  the  means  of  bringing  others  to  Him. 

'I  am  glad  you  like  your  pupils  so  much.  I  feel  incompetent  to 
give  you  any  advice  about  them:  I  believe  the  great  thing  is  to 
pray  much  for  them,  that  they  may  have  that  grace,  which  alone 
can  make  the  Sabbath  a  delight.  We  should  also  pray  with  them, 
and  let  them  see  that  we  are  very  anxious  about  their  salvation,  and 
that,  though  we  attach  much  importance  to  their  progress  in  other 
things,  we  look  upon  them  all  as  nothing  in  comparison  with  the 
knowledge  of  Christ.  Children  sometimes  take  much  pleasure  in 
answering  a  few  simple  questions  on  a  chapter  they  have  read  ;  and 
in  this  way  very  little  cliildren  may  be  made  to  comprehend  a 
great  deal.  Many  of  the  parables,  types,  and  emblems  in  Scripture 
are  particularly  adapted  to  their  capacities,  and  afford  them  great 
delight.  I  have  seen  a  little  child,  who  would  have  been  tired  to 
death  with  a  serious  discourse,  hsten  for  a  long  time  with  unwearied 
attention,  whilst  being  told  in  its  own  childish  language,  how 
Christ  compared  himself  to  a  vine,  and  his  people  to  living  branches  : 
or  how  Christ  as  the  good  Shepherd,  "gatliers  the  lambs  with  His 
arms,  and  carries  them  in  His  bosom.'"  While  explaining  these 
things,  they  should  be  taught  the  text  or  texts  referred  to ;  that  so 
a  poriion  of  God's  own  word  may  be  fixed  in  their  hearts.  I  think, 
however,  there  is  nothing  more  important  than  to  stop  as  soon  as 
the  attention  of  our  little  hearers  seems  to  tire.  Sometimes  the 
eldest  may  be  set  to  teach  the  youngest  some  verse  or  hynm. 
Scripture  prints  also  form  a  very  good  resource  for  Sunday  employ- 
ment. Children  are  so  artless,  that  we  can  soon  perceive  what 
pleases  them  most ;  and  whatever  kind  of  religious  conversation  or 

'  John  XV.  1—5.     Isaiah  xl.  11. 


102  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

employment  seems  particularly  to  interest  them,  should  be  brought 
out  on  Sunday,  to  make  it  as  pleasant  a  day  as  possible  to  them.' 

'  I  hardly  know  how  to  say  a  word  ag-ainst  Jeremy  Taylor ;  he  is 
a  great  favorite  of  mine  ;  but  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  his  views 
of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  savor  too  much  of  uionasiic  severity, 
and  too  little  of  the  simplicity  which  is  in  Christ  .lesus.  The  times 
he  wrote  in  may  account  for  these  inconsistencies  in  the  writings  of 
so  holy  a  man ;  but  I  think  they  are  calculated  to  increase  the 
melancholy  of  any  one  who  is  unhappy  about  religion  ;  because 
there  is  something  so  obscure  and  confused  in  his  ideas  upon  many 

important  points.     I  must  now,  my  dear ,  bid  you  farewell ;  I 

need  not  tell  you  what  pleasure  it  gives  me  to  hear  from  you  ;  nor 
how  earnestly  I  wish  that  you  may  find  the  peace  and  comfort  you 
are  seeking.  My  earnest  prayer  is  that  the  promised  "Spirit  of 
truth"  may  be  with  you,  to  "  guide  you  into  all  truth."  The 
weaknesses  you  own  to  me  are  exactly  what  I  have  felt,  and  do  feel 
myself;  but  God  wiU  overcome  them  for  us,  and  enable  us  to  "bring 
every  thought  into  subjection  to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  I  am 
sometimes  afraid  that  my  using  so  much  Scripture  language  may 
appear  like  cant  or  affectation  to  you  ;  but  I  do  it,  because,  when  I 
express  myself  in  the  sense,  and  as  much  as  possible  in  the  words, 
of  Scripture,  I  have  less  fear  of  misleading  you,  or  of  mixing  my 
own  earthly  ideas  with  the  pure  and  heavenly  truths  on  which  we 
are  conversing.' 

Again — 

'  Stoke,  Jan.  22,  1S27. 
'  Though  I  have  not  yet  heard  of  you,  I  am  sure  that  all  things 
are  going;'  on  well  with  you,  since  the  very  God  of  love  is  become 
your  God,  and  will  be  your  Father  and  guide  forever.  May  you 
know  more  and  more  every  day  of  His  forgiving  love,  and  be  led  to 
feel  that  you  are  with  Jesus,  "  who  has  loved  you,  and  washed  you 

I  On  this  subject,  so  embarrassinjT  to  many  anxious  parents,  the  writer  is  tempted  to 
transcribe  the  sentiments  of  a  Christian  mother,  to  whose  wisdom,  tenderness,  discipline, 
and  prayers,  he  will  feel  deeply  indebted  to  the  end  of  his  days.  •  With  respect  to  chil- 
-  dren's  early  distinguishing  the  Sabbath  from  other  days,'  as  Mrs.  Barbauld  says  on  an- 
other occasion,  '  I  think  a  child  should  never  remember  the  tirsttime  he  heard  of  God, — 
so  it  should  be  with  reirard  to  the  Sabbath.  The  remembrance  of  it  may  be  drawn  in  al- 
most with  the  native  nutriment,  such  as  by  attention  to  the  church  bells,  the  removal  of 
playthinijjs,  of  mamma's  work-box,  &c.  Little  H ,  at  five  years  old,  of  course  is  be- 
yond all  this,  and  must  be  talked  to  in  a  way  which  she  will  understand,  and  with  a 
"determination  that  the  subject  should  be  reirarded  according  to  the  will  of  God,  not  yield- 
ing to  anything  for  which  she  may  contend  with  you.  As  to  little  — —  (not  quite  two 
years  old,)  if  he  makes  sport  of  pictures,  they  must  be  sparingly  used.  But  yet  he  will 
soon  understand  that  he  must  be  grave,  or  he  will  not  have  them ;  and  he  will  learn  in 
time  to  make  observations  upon  them,  which  will  lead  to  restraint,  especially  if  he  sees 
his  sister's  employment  under  discipline.  A  pencil  perhaps  may  be  allowed  him  to  try 
to  make  letters,  or  to  sec  a  church  drawn,  as  it  is  God's  house.  The  reason  of  the  re- 
straint, and  the  importance  of  the  distinction  of  days,  will  soon  be  seen.  Meanwhile, 
habit  must  be  the  child's  teacher.  If  he  cannot  discern  a  serious  amusement  from  a  com- 
mon one,  the  weekly  revolutionof  the  Sabbath  will  mark  a  ditTiTonce.  The  wrong  names 
which  he  mav  give  to  things  is  of  little  moaient,  provided  the  distinction  in  the  things  is 
clear  and  marked.' 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  103 

from  your  sins  in  His  own  blood  !"  O  my  dear  friend,  my  heart  is 
full  of  joy,  when  I  think  that  the  Lord  has  taught  you  to  seek 
happiness  in  Him.  "  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness'" — says  this  precious  Saviour — ^"/or  they  shall  be 
fUledJ'''  Therefore  from  his  own  words  I  have  a  warrant  to  call 
you  "  blessed  ;"  and  if  He  has  given  you  himself,  I  care  not  what 
else  He  takes  from  you  :  knowing,  as  I  do,  that  you  can  want 
nothing  that  is  good  for  you,  while  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory  is 
yours.  What  a  blessed  prospect  lies  before  you  !  The  same  Spirit 
that  has  been  showing  you  the  vanity  and  sinfulness  of  your  owni 
heart,  will  not  stop  short  there.  No  ;  He  will  "  guide  you  into  all 
truth  ;  He  will  take  of  the  things  of  Christ,  and  show  them  unto 
you  ;"  He  will  "  shed  abroad  the  love  of  God  in  your  heart ;"  He 
will,  in  His  own  time,  ''fill  you  with  joy  and  peace  in  believing;" 
He  will  bring  you  on  '■•  from  strength  to  strength,"  and  "  from  glory 
to  glory,"  till  at  length  He  removes  you  hence,  to  that  heaven 
where  you  shall  see  Christ  as  He  is,  be  like  him,  and  dwell  with 
Him  forever.2  Now  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  live  upon  the 
fulness  of  Jesus,  casting  away  your  own  righteousness,  which  is  no 
better  than  fikhy»rags  ;  your  own  strength,  which  is  mere  weakness  ; 
and  your  own  wisdom,  which  is  foolishness  with  God.  You  must 
put  forth  the  hand  of  faith,  and  lay  hold  of  the  righteousness  of 
Jesus,  which  he  otfers  you  as  His  free  gift,  Rom.  v.  15,  21 — His 
strength,  which  is  sufficient  for  you.  2  Cor.  xii.  9,  10.  Ephes.  vi. 
10.  Phil.  iv.  13.  1  John  iv.  4 — and  His  wisdom,  which  is  also 
freely  yours  for  Christ's  sake.  1  Cor.  i.  30.  Only  go  on  asking 
Him  for  more,  more  still,  more  of  his  precious  love.  He  cannot  deny 
it  you  ;  for  He  has  said,  "  that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  His  name. 
He  will  give  it  you."^  You  cannot  ask  too  much  ;  for  think  of  the 
great  things  the  Apostle  asked,  Ephes.  iii.  1-1^19  ;  yet  He  concludes 
all  by  saying,  --Unto  Him  that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly 

above  all  that  we  ask  or  think.^^      Dear ,  is  not  ours  a  happy 

lot  ?  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  1  Who  shall  lay 
anything  to  the  charge  of  Gods  elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justifieth  : 
who  is  he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is  Christ  that  died  ;  yea,  rather, 
that  is  risen  again  ;  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God  ;  who  also 
maketh  intercession  for  us^*  Here  is  our  anchor  of  hope— Christ 
died  ;  Christ  is  risen  ;  Christ  intercedes.  When  Satan  or  our  own 
evil  conscience  accuses  us,  we  are  too  apt  to  look  for  comfort  to 
something  in  ourselves.  In  this  we  shall  always  be  disappointed  ; 
if  we  look  to  Christ,  we  never  shall.  May  He  teach  us  by  His  own 
Spirit  how  to  live  by  faith  in  Him  !  I  long  to  hear  from  you,  and 
to  know  whether  you  have  yet  been  able  to  find  peace  in  God. 
This  precious  gift  will,  I  know,  be  bestowed  upon  you.  Do  tell  me 
all  you  feel,  and  let  me  often  have  a  letter  from  you  ;  for,  believe 
me,  scarcely  anything  can  afford  me  greater  pleasure. 

1  Matthew  v.  6. 
-  John  xvi.  13 — 15.  Rom.  v.  5;  xv.  13.    Psahii  Ixxxiv.  7.   2  Cor.  iii.  18.    1  John  iii.  2. 
3  John.xiv.  13,  14.  «  Romans  viii.  31—34. 


104  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JAN.'^    GRAHAM. 

'  I  pray  that  your  communications  may  always  bring  me  the 
happy  news,  that  you  are  more  and  more  devoted  to  our  dearest 
Lord,  in  whom  may  we,  my  dearest  friend,  become  daily  more  uni- 
ted. There  is  a  common  friendship  which  is  very  delightful ;  but 
there  is  a  communion  of  spirit  peculiar  to  those  who  love  the  Lord 
Jesus  ;  and  this  is  what  I  trust  He  will  grant  to  us ;  for  it  will  last, 
when  common  friendship  has  been  long  withered  by  the  hand  of 
death.  May  yon  be  blessed  with  every  spiritual  blessing,  and  rooted 
and  grounded  in  love !     This  is  the  prayer  of,  &c.' 

The  next  letter  exhibits  accurate  discrimination,  and  a  high 
standard  of  Christian  experience. 

'  I  was  much  interested,  my  dearest  friend,  in  what  you  said 
about  mingling  earthly  with   heavenly  feelings.     It  is  a  difficult 
question  ;  and  one  which  I  am  sure  I  am  not  fit  to  answer.     Only 
I  think  we  may  in  some  degree  know  whether  our  lo\'e  is  of  the 
right  kind  or  not,  by  asking  ourselves  whether  it  really  is  God  that 
we  love  in  our  friends,  and  in  our  connnunion  with  them  ;  whether 
we  love  those  that  are  in  (.'hrist  incomparably  more  than  those  who 
are  not  in  him  ;  and  whether  after  all  we  could  gife  up  the  society 
of  the  very  best  and  dearest  of  them  all,  rather  than  lose  one  par- 
ticle of  God's   favor.     Surely  we  may  love  our  friends,  and  that 
most  dearly,  for  God  requires  it  of  us  ;  but  then  "  he  that  lovetli 
father  or  mother  7nore  than  Him  is  not  worthy  of  Him."'     Love  to 
our  friends  seems  to  be  the  purest  earthly  feeling:  yet  I  think,  if 
we  find  ourselves  enjoying  devotion  in  its  social  privileges,  more 
than  in  personal  communion  with  God,  our  devotion  cannot  have 
been  altogether  of  a  spiritual  character.     But  while  we  lament  over 
the  weakness  and  inconsistency,  which  spoil  our  holiest  actions, 
and   defile  the  sweetest  afl^ections  God  has  given  us,  let  us  take 
comfort  in  the  thouglit,  "  that  we  have  not  an  high-priest  who  can- 
not be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities."     "  He  knoweth 
our  frame,  he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust:"''^  and  (what  should 
raise  our  gratitude  to  the  highest  pitch)  he  himself  has  been  made 
dust,  like  unto  our  miserable  dust  in  all  things,  except  sin,  on  pur- 
pose that  he  might  be  able  to  "  have  compassion  on  the  ignorant, 
and  on  those  who  are  out  of  the  way."     There  is  such  a  clear  view 
given  to  us  in  the  Epistie  to  the  Hebrews  of  the  twofold  nature  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  that  I  derive  unspeakable  comfort  from  studying 
it.     Scarcely  any  book  makes  me  see  so  clearly  that  he  is  the  Lord 
God  "dwelhng  in   liglit  inaccessible,  whom  no  man  hath  seen  or 
can  see;"  and  yet  that  he  is  "bone  of  my  bone,  and  flesh  of  my 
flesh ;"  able  to  enter  into  my  feelings,  to  pity  my  weaknesses,  and 
to  sympathize  with  me  in  my  temptations.     Oh,  if  we  could  but 
dwell  upon  the  wonder  more!  it  is  the  "wisdom  of  God,  and  the 
power  of  God."     "  Angels  desire  to  look  into  it ;"  ''  the  spirits  of  the 
just"  are  forever  learning  more  about  it ;  and  I  know  of  nothing 

'  Matt.  X.  37.  2  Heb.  iv.  15.     Psalm  ciii.  14. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  105 

SO  likely  to  make  the  souls  of  God's  people  here  like  those  who  are 
above,  as  the  continual  contemplation  of  this  marvellous  love  of 

God,  in  manifesting  himself  in  the  flesh.     Dear  M ,  how  soon 

we  shall  see  him  face  to  face,  "whom  having  not  seen  we  love!" 
Let  us  seek  to  become  intimately  acquainted  with  him  here.  Let 
us  be  often  conversing  Avith  him,  and  always  near  to  him,  that  he 
may  not  have  to  say  to  us — "  I  never  knew  you."  He  will  never 
say  this  to  us ;  but  our  watchful  enemy  may  in  some  dark  hour 
suggest  such  a  thing  to  us  ;  and  then  how  delightful  to  be  able  to 
refute  such  a  suggestion,  by  the  memory  of  all  (he  intimate  com- 
munion we  have  enjoyed  with  Jesus !  to  be  able  to  appeal  to  this 
dearest  friend  himself,  that  so  far  from  never  having  known  him, 
we  have  known,  desired,  loved  nothing  else  in  comparison  with 
him  !  Would  that  this  were  my  case  now  !  But  I  feel  as  far  away 
from  Jesus,  as  if  he  were  quite  a  stranger  to  my  soul.  My  heart 
seems  bent  to  backslide;  and  I  cannot  help  continually  thinking 
of  that  bitter  complaint  of  Job's — "Oh  that  I  were  as  in  months 
past,  as  in  the  days  when  God  preserved  me,  when  his  candle 
shined  upon  my  head,  and  when,  by  his  light,  I  walked  through 
darkness  !"i  Still  I  know  that  God  "  will  heal  my  backsliding, 
and  love  me  freely  ;"-  for  though  I  am  changed,  "  He  changes  not.'"' 
But  how  strange  it  is,  that  our  hearts  should  ever  be  so  alienated 
from  God,  after  having  once  known  how  sweet  it  is  to  love  him  ! 
Surely  the  character  of  long-sulfering,  so  often  given  to  God  in  the 
Scriptures,  has  never  been  manifested  by  any  one  in  so  many  in- 
stances as  to  me.  Let  us  not  forget,  dearest  M — — ,  to  pray  for 
one  another,  "  that  our  hearts  may  be  knit  together  in  love,  and 
vmto  all  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding."^  that  we 
may  daily  increase  in  the  "  knowledge  of  Him,  whom  to  know  is 
life  eternal."  ' 

The  interesting  tone  of  Christian  simplicity  which  the  following 
letter  breathes,  is  worthy  of  remark. 

'  August  4,  1825. 
'You  will  perhaps  be  surprised  to  receive  a  letter  so  soon  after 
my  last.  But  I  feel  this  morning  an  irresistible  wish  to  write  to 
you,  to  which  I  was  moved  whilst  praying  for  you  ;  and  in  the 
strength  of  Jesus  I  will  speak  to  you  only  of  him.  Perhaps  I  shall 
to-day  receive  a  letter  from  you  :  I  siiall  be  very  glad,  because  I  am 
so  anxious  to  know  that  you  have  devoted  yourself  in  the  fullest 

manner  to  Him,  who  gave  up  his  life  for  you.     My  dear ,  I  do 

not  know  whether  you  are  feeling  with  me;  but  it  is  a  cheering 
hope  to  me,  that  1,  who  have  so  often  encouraged  you  in  the  great- 
est sin  which  a  redeemed  soul  can  commit,  that  of  indifference  to 
the  service  and  love  of  the  Redeemer,  may  now  be  an  instrument 

1  .Job  xxix.  2,  3.  2  Hos.  xiv.  4. 

3Mal.  iii.6.  «  Col.  ii.  2. 


mniivnjiii    i)*     m/iiti     jAi\Ji;    triiAHA.vi. 


in  llis  hands  to  animate  you  to  very  different  feelings.  We  have 
given  way  to  a  very  unfaitlifui  spirit  in  our  fears,  and  in  our  repug- 
nance to  speak  in  His  name.  Let  us  only  believe,  that  when  he 
granis  us  the  inestimable  privilege  of  carrying  the  blessed  nesvs  of 
Hid  Gospel — "  it  is  not  we  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  our  Father 
which  speaketh  in  us.'"  This  feeling  that  we  are  nothing,  but 
that  He  is  everything  in  us,  would  give  us  a  conlidence  full  of  joy, 
and  at  the  same  time  without  pride.  It  is  indeed  the  height  of 
liappiness  to  follow  him  like  a  little  child,  to  live  in  Christ,  and  out 
of  ourselves.  Oh,  had  I  but  a  constant  sight  of  his  love  !  but  he 
'•  is  faithful,  who  will  stablish  us,  and  keep  us  from  evil."^  Let 
us  confide  in  Him;  let  us  tell  him  that  we  are  not  able  to  move  a 
single  step  towards  Him,  that  we  cannot  love  Him,  nor  believe  in 
His  name.  His  goodness  will  allure  us.  His  power  preserve  us.  His 
strength  will  be  given  us  in  exchange  for  our  weakness,  and  we 
shall  find  an  indescribable  delight  in  being  able  to  do  all  in  Christ.' 
To  her  cousin  she  writes  in  this  affectionate  and  encouraging 
strain : — 

'  November  27,  1827. 
'Let  me  tell  you,  my  dear  friend,  how  sincerely  and  affection- 
ately I  sympathize  with  you  in  the  feelings  you  express  with  regard 
to  the  most  important  of  all  subjects.  My  dearest  cousin,  go  on 
seeking.  There  are  pleasures,  rivers  of  pleasures,  whereof  the  true 
Christian  drinks  with  unspeakable  delight;  and  in  His  own  time 
Jesus,  the  good  Shepherd,  will  lead  you  to  these  fountains  of  living 
water.  Already  He,  who  "  calleth  His  own  sheep  by  name,  and 
leadeth  them  out'"^  from  the  world  of  sin,  has  called  you  by  His  own 
word,  speaking  to  your  soul.  Do  but  be  wilhng,  as  Levi,  "  to  rise 
up,  leave  all,  and  follow  Him  ;"^  and  you  will  find  that  He  will  lead 
you  in  the  pleasant  and  peaceful  way.  For  every  vain  pleasure 
that  He  calls  upon  you  to  give  up.  He  will  give  a  thousand  solid 
and  real  pleasures,  which  it  hath  not  entered  into  the  worldling's 
heart  to  conceive.' 

The  next  letter,  written  to  her  cousin,  marks  the  instruction, 
obligation,  and  encouragement  connected  with  the  hour  of  "  trouble," 
— that  time  "  to  which  man  is  born,"^  and  when  to  the  unhumbled 
and  unsanctitied  mind,  the  resources  of  the  world  often  aggravate 
suffering,  instead  of  contributing  support. 

'  3Iarch  20,  1825. 

'Our  meeting,  my  dear  friend,  must  be  deferred  to  a  future  time, 

if  ever  it  takes  place  in  this  world.     But  there  is  another  meeting, 

to  which  we  may  safely  look  forward,  if  we  are  the  children  of  God 

tlnough  Christ  Jesus :  and  this  will  be  in  the  presence  of  our  best 

1  Matt.  X.  20.  2  2  Thess.  iii.  3.  3  John  x.  3. 

i  Matt.  ix.  9.  5  Job  v.  7. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  107 

and  dearest  Friend,  who  so  loved  us,  as  to  '•  purchase  us  with  his 
own  blood."  How  happy,  how  very  happy  it  would  make  nie,  to 
know  that  my  much-loved  cousin  was  making  it  the  grand  object 
of  her  life  to  seek  for  salvation  through  the  all-sufficient  Saviour  ; 
and  that  we  were  united,  not  only  by  the  strong  ties  of  relationship 
and  affection,  but  also  by  that  bond  of  the  Spirit,  which  makes  ail 
the  redeemed  people  of  Christ  to  be  of  one  heart  and  one  soul !  Let 
us  pray  for  this  one  thing,  to  be  devoted  to  the  Lord  Jesus :  it  is  a 
heaven  begun  on  earth.  The  severe  trial  with  which  it  has  pleased 
our  gracious  God  to  afflict  us,'  has  given  us  an  additional  reason  to 
write  vanity  upon  all  human  hopes  and  expectations:  and  I  hope 
I  may  say,  that  it  has  driven  us  to  seek  for  comfort  in  those  things 
which  alone  can  give  any  real  relief  to  a  mind  under  the  pressure 
of  grief.  Painful  indeed  it  is  to  speak  about  anything  wliich  brings 
with  it  such  afflicting  recollections.  Yet  I  feel  that  I  cannot,  and 
must  not  leave  it,  till  I  have  entreated  you,  my  beloved  friend,  to 
join  me  in  seeking  a  "  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother," 
wdiom  no  length  of  time,  or  adverse  circumstances  can  take  from 
us.  Into  his  gracious  ear  we  may  pour  all  our  complaints  :  "  in  all 
our  afflictions  he  will  be  afflicted.''^  And  one  glimpse  of  his  love 
will  enable  us  to  rejoice  in  the  midst  of  tribulation.  But  there  is 
one  condition — "  Give  me  thine  heart."^  He  must  have  all  or  none. 
A  divided  heart  he  will  not  accept.  A  heart  that  indulges  in  any 
one  sin,  that  cleaves  to  any  one  worldly  vanity,  can  never  be  the 
residence  of  His  pure  Spirit :  he  must  have  the  whole  heart,  every 
thought,  every  faculty,  every  afiection  must  centre  in  Him.  And 
who  IS  able  to  perform  this  condition?  I  am  sure  neither  you  nor 
I  can:  for  we  are  carnal,  and  "the  carnal  heart  is  enmity  against 

God."''     Well  then,  my  dear  ,  let  us  simply  believe  on  Him  to 

effect  all  this  for  us.  Let  us  come  to  Him  as  sinners ;  for  "His 
blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  Let  us  come  as  wretched,  and  pour, 
and  blind;  and  He  "will  fill  our  minds  with  joy  and  peace  in  be- 
lieving," will  give  us  "  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  we  may  be  rich,"» 
and  will  cause  His  Spirit  to  shine  into  our  dark  hearts,  "  to  give  tlie 
light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ."«  True,  we  cannot  love  Him  of  ourselves ;  but  He  can 
compel  even  our  hearts  to  love  Him.  Oh  may  He  reveal  Himself  to 
your  soul,  and  give  you  such  discoveries  of  His  amazing  love,  as 
may  constrain  you  to  make  Hini  your  "all  in  all !"  ' 

In  another  letter,  on  the  same  subject,  we  find  her  taking  her 
chair  by  the  side  of  her  afflicted  friendj  and,  like  a  true  daughter  of 
consolation,  "comforting  her  with  the  same  comfort,  wherewith  she 
herself  had  been  comforted  of  God." 

•  Probably  alluding  to  the  death  of  her  onlv  brother.  2  Isaiah  Ixiii.  9. 

3  Prov.  xxiii.  26.  '  *  4  Romans  viii.  7. 

5  Rev.  iii.  18.  6  2  Cor.  iv.  6. 


108  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

'  January  ISih,  1828. 
'  My  very  DEAR  Friend, 

'A  letter  from  — — -,  informed  me  of  the  very  heavy  trial 
you  have  sustained.  I  did  not  like  immediately  to  intrude  upon 
your  feelings  ;  and  since  then,  illness  has  prevented  my  writing. 
How  I  have  longed  to  be  with  you,  and  share  your  grief,  though  I 
am  sensible  of  my  inability  to  afford  you  any  consolation  !  But  I 
could  at  least  have  mingled  my  feelings  with  yours,  and  told  you, 
what  however  you  need  not  be  told,  that  your  losses  and  afflictions 
must  ever  be  in  a  measure  mine.  M}''  beloved  friend,  would  that 
in  partaking,  as  I  most  sincerely  do,  of  your  sorrow,  I  could  in  any 
way  lighten  or  alleviate  it !  But  I  rejoice  in  the  thought,  that  faith 
has  united  you  to  one,  who  is  the  God  of  comfort;  and  his  Spirit 
is  the  Comforter.  May  he  shed  abundantly  of  his  precious  influ- 
ence into  your  heart  and  your  dear  sister's  at  this  trying  time ! 
May  he  "  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  you"  both  !  and 
t!iat  will  turn  your  mourning  into  gladness.  Perhaps  this  bereave- 
ment will  lead  you  nearer  to  Jesus :  for  we  have  an  unfailing 
promise,  that  "  all  things  shall  work  togel  her  for  our  good."  "  Whom 
the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth.  even  as  a  father  the  son  in  whom 
he  delighteth.  As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten.'"  And 
then  how  sweet  to  be  assured,  that  "  in  all  our  afflictions  he  is 
afflicted  !"  that  in  all  our  troubles  he  is  near  to  help ;  that  in  all  our 
bereavements  he  is  ready  to  fill  up  with  himself  the  painful  dreary 
void,  which  is  made  in  our  hearts  !  My  beloved  friend,  1  do  not 
say  these  things  to  you  •'  because  you  know  them  not,  but  rather 
because  you  know  them,"  and  are,  1  trust,  at  this  time  living  upon 
them.  How  vain  were  it  to  speak  to  you  of  earthly  comfort  under 
the  heavy  loss  you  have  sustained  !  But  this  is  the  very  time, 
when  God's  children  often  drink  deepest  of  heavenly  consolation  ; 
and  I  trust  it  is  thus  with  my  precious  friend.  I  know  that  our 
heavenly  Father  has  afflicted  you  in  very  faithfulness ;  and  though 
for  the  present  your  chastisement  must  seem  '•  grievous"  indeed  to 
you,  yet  hereafter  it  shall  bring  forth  in  you  "the  peaceable  fruits 
of  righteousness. "2  In  the  meantime  may  you  be  taught  to  lay 
hold  on  the  gracious  invitation  to  "  call  upon  God  in  the  time  of 
trouble  !"  Make  David's  words  3^our  own — "  from  the  end  of  the 
earth  will  I  cry  unto  thee,  when  my  heart  is  overwhelmed  ;  lead  me 
to  the  rock  that  is  higher  than  I."  "  What  time  T  am  afraid,  I  will 
trust  in  thee."  "  My  soul  trusteth  in  thee,  and  in  the  shadow  of 
thy  wings  will  I  make  my  refuge,  until  these  calamities  be  overpast." 
"  In  the  day  of  my  trouble  I  will  call  upon  thee  ;  for  thoii  wilt 
answer  me."^  And  may  you,  my  dear  friend,  be  able  to  apply  to 
yourself  the  words  of  our  God — "  Behold,  I  have  refined  thee,  but 
not  with  silver:  I  have  chosen  thee  in  the  furnace  of  affliction.  I, 
even    I,  am   he  that  comforteth  you — as   one   whom  his  mother 

•  Romans  viii.  OS.     Heb.  xii.  6.     Rev.  iii.  19. 

2  Psalm  cxix.  75.     Hebrews  xii.  11.        3  Psalm  1.  15;  Ixi.  2;  Ivi.  3;  Ivii.  1;   Ixxxvi.  7. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  109 

comforteth,  so  will  I  comfort  you."  "In  a  little  v:rath  I  hid  my 
face  fiom  thee  for  a  7nonient  ;  but  wilh  everlasting  kindness  will 
I  have  mercy  on  thee,  saith  .the  Lord  thy  Redeemer."'  I  would  not 
obtrude  my  own  words  upon  you  upon  an  occasion  like  this.  But 
I  may  hope  that  the  Spirit  of  truth  will  bless  his  words  lo  your 
comfort ;  so  I  fear  not  to  tire  you  with  the  repetition,  for  they  are 
always  new, — "  O  God,  thou  art  my  God."'^  Here  is  a  balm  for 
every  wound  ;  yes,  he  is  your  God.  Wisdom  and  tenderness  shall 
f  )rm  the  basis  of  all  his  dealings  towards  you  ;  and  he,  who  is  so 
wise  and  so  tender,  is  engaged  to  do  you  nothing  but  good  all  the 
days  of  your  life.  I  did  not  mean  to  have  written  so  much,  know- 
ing that  even  the  sympathy  of  friendship  luay  sometimes  be  an  in- 
terruption to  our  own  feelings.  But  I  now  leave  off,  begging  3'ou 
to  accept  the  warmest  ailection  of,  &c.' 

How  delightful  is  the  confidence,  which  Miss  Graham  here 
expresses  in  the  support  of  the  simple  word  of  God  in  the  hour  of 
aflliction  !  Though  her  letter  affords  some  of  her  own  beautiful 
thoughts,  yet  her  main  effort  is  perceptil)le  throughout ;  not  to  strain 
her  mind  to  force  out  something  original  or  striking,  but  to  bring 
forward  the  encouraging  promises  of  scriptiu'e,  as  far  more  powerful 
than  the  product  of  her  own  thought.  This  is  honoring  the  word 
of  God. 

The  next  letter  relates  personally  to  herself,  and  gives  a  lively 
description  of  her  state  of  mind,  with  a  happy  transition  from  her 
own  playful  spirit,  to  a  more  serious  and  edifying  strain. 

'Jpn7,  1827. 
'  I  am  sure  that  I  am  very  old  for  my  age.  It  is  not  common  at 
twenty-four  to  live  upon  the  past  as  I  do.  Most  people  would 
rather  feed  upon  pleasant  hopes  of  the  future,  but  that  is  a  thing  I 
never  do  without  trembling.  It  is  not  that  I  have  the  least  doubt 
of  everything  being  ordered  for  my  happiness  ;  but  I  dread  passing 
my  life  in  this  painful  uncertainty  ;  and  I  think  this  requires  more 
faith  than  to  pass  it  in  the  most  severe  affliction.  Besides,  I  am 
afraid  of  living  in  a  kind  of  tertian  fever  :  for  either  I  am  very  hot 
or  very  cold.  I  am  incapable  of  an  equal  temperament  in  anything. 
A  person  who  knows  me  this  month  would  not  know  me  the  next. 
I  do  not  know  myself;  God  knows  me;  he  knows  all  my  weak- 
nesses, all  my  vanity:  however,  all  this  does  not  cause  him  to  for- 
sake me.  When  I  stray,  he  seeks  me ;  when  I  return,  he  receives 
me  with  tenderness;  when  I  doubt,  he  assures  me;  when  I  am 
unhappy,  he  consoles  me.  Surely  he  can  give  me  strength  to 
devote  myself  wholly  to  him,  and  not  to  turn  away  again  from  his 
ways.' 

Another  letter  affords  a  beautiful  illustration  of  her  spirituaUty  of 
mind,  connected  with  the  recollection  of  her  literary  pursuits. 

1  Isaiah  xlviii.  10;  li.  12 ;  Ixvi.  12  j  liv.  7,  8.  2  Psalm  Ixiii.  1. 


110  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

'  Clmdleigh,  S'opt.  1827. 

'  You  are  then  at  ■ ,  where  you  lead  a  very  pleasant  life,  but 

where  you  are  not  happy,  because  he  who  is  your  happiness  no 
longer  cheers  you  with  his  presence.  I  also  am  very  gay.  I  am 
here  to  my  heart's  content.  ;  and  1  am  not  happy,  because  I  cannot 
find  my  God — my  beloved.  I  find  that  we  "are  the  salt  of  the 
earth  ;"  but  that  this  "  salt  has  lost  its  savor,  and  is  no  longer  good 
for  anything,  but  to  be  thrown  away  and  trodden  under  foot  of 
men."'  But  the  infinite  compassion  of  Jesus  will  not  suffer  it  to  be 
so  with  us,  and  therefore  he  causes  us  to  feel  incessantly  bitter 
inquietudes,  which  will  not  suffer  us  to  rest  without  returning  to 
him.  In  the  meantime  we  are  both  in  a  new  place,  which  we  shall 
perhaps  never  see  again.  Shall  we  quit  (his  place  without  leaving 
there  some  savor  of  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ?  It  is  delightful  to 
be  able  to  create  recollections  as  exquisite  as  those  awakened  by  the 
beautiful  images  of  Petrarch  and  Tasso.  But  it  is  much  more 
delightful  to  remember  every  place,  where  we  have  seen  some  soul 
converted  to  God  ;  this  recollection  will  solace  us  at  a  time,  when 
all  the  delights  of  our  Tasso  will  appear  but  a  vain  dream.  I  do 
not  say  this  bec^tuse  I  feel  as  I  spjak.  I  see  it  in  my  understand- 
ing ;  but  it  does  not  reach  to  my  heart.  However,  1  speak  because 
I  desire  to  feel  it,  and  that  you  should  feel  it  too.  I  wish  to  love 
Tasso,  and  our  other  studies,  only  for  (he  love  of  God,  and  to  give 
all  to  his  service.  But  I  love  them  too  much  for  myself;  and  yet  I 
do  not  think  it  would  be  right  to  give  them  up,  since  they  may  one 
day  be  of  use  to  me.' 

We  will  now  present  a  few  letters,  which  will  introduce  us  to  a 
nearer  view  of  the  exercises  of  her  own  mind.  She  appears  to  have 
been  deeply  harassed,  in  common  with  the  gieat  Apostle,  with  that 
painful  conflict,  which  his  own  inspired  pen  has  so  graphically  de- 
scribed in  Romans  vii. — a  chapter  which — though  unintelligible  to 
the  world,  and  even  to  the  merely  external  professors  of  the  Gospel — 
unfolds  more  or  less  of  the  secret  history  of  every  Christian's  heart. 
The  following  letter,  of  an  early  date,  marks  her  mind  exercised  in 
the  painful  sense  of  her  own  deficiencies,  while  anxiously  engaged 
in  the  pursuit  of  that  knowledge,  which  was  the  basis  of  all  that 
was  valuable,  both  in  her  intellectual  and  spiritual  character. 

'  June,  1823. 
'  No — I  have  not  yet  regained  my  peace  of  mind.  It  is  a  guest 
which  will  not  dwell  in  a  soul  so  weak  and  vain  as  mine.  I  have 
again  read  a  passage  in  Mason.  But  I  find,  that  although  self- 
knowledge  is  the  most  excellent  kind  of  wisdom  man  can  possess, 
yet  there  is  a  sort  of  self-knowledge,  which  onlv  debases  and 
hardens  the  soul ;  and  this  is  exactly  the  kind  with  which  I  am 
furnished.     And    whilst  true  self-knowledge  introduces  order  and 

J  Matthew  v.  13. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  Ill 

light  into  the  soul,  as  when  the  sun  enlightens  the  earth  ;  the  self- 
knowledge  which  1  possess  rather  resembles  the  lighlning,  wliich 
shines  for  a  moment,  and  shows  all  the  desolation  which  the  storm 
has  produced,  and  which  itself  increases  the  desolation.  To  know 
one's  self  miserable,  but  not  to  be  unwilling  to  use  the  means  of 
being  happy  ;  to  know  one's  self  a  sinner,  but  to  flee  from  and 
abandon  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  has  been  a  true  description  of 
my  feelings.' 

To  her  cousin  she  expresses  some  grounds  of  thankful  recollec- 
tion for  Christians,  who  are  called  in  "  tlie  days  of  their  youth"  to 
the  service  of  their  God  and  Saviour. 

'My  dearest .     I  seem  to  have  so  much  to  say  to  you, 

that  I  scarcely  know  where  to  begin.  I  am  not  now  afraid  of  in- 
dulging in  a  little  effusion  of  my  feelings  to  you,  as  they  begin  to 
sit  less  heavy  upon  my  heart.  I  begin  to  feel  a  sort  of  assurance, 
that  it  will  ere  long  be  "with  me  as  in  months  past,  when  the  can- 
dle of  the  Lord  sliined  upon  my  head."  Yet  I  cannot  tell  you  that 
I  enjoy  anything  of  really  spiritual  feeling.  OA  .'  that  has  been 
too  long  stifled  to  awake  at  once  to  a)iy thing  like  life  and  vigor. ^ 

Dear ,  let  us  be  more  careful  than  we  have  hitherto  been,  not 

to  quench  the  spark  of  Divine  life  in  our  hearts,  not  to  suffer  the 
love  of  the  world  to  enter  where  the  Holy  Spirit  has  deigned  to 
erect  a  temple  to  himself.  1  must  tell  you  the  thought  which 
struck  me  yesterday,  and  roused  me  more  effectually  than  any- 
thing for  some  time  past  has  done.  It  was  a  sense  of  the  blessed- 
ness of  being  called  in  our  youth  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  now 
that  our  feelings  are  fresh,  and  our  habits  unformed  ;  before  we 
liave  entered  into  the  pleasures,  company,  and  temptations  of  the 
world.  It  seems  as  though  we  had,  through  the  mercy  of  our 
Saviour,  being  turned  from  the  broad  path  of  destruction  while  yet 
upon  the  threshold— before  we  could  have  a  long  and  weary  way 
of  sin  to  retrace.  Are  not  these  mercies,  which  call  for  our  warmest 
gratitude  1  Shall  I  lell  you  another  light,  which  then  struck  me 
more  forcibly  than  I  had  ever  felt  it  before  ?  Is  it  not  a  blessing  to 
have  been  enabled  to  enter  decidedly  upon  a  life  of  religion,  before 
we  had  formed  any  connection  contrary  to  it  ?  Now  everytiiing 
seems  open  before  us.     The  narrow  path  has  been  for  us  divested 

'  The  writer  feels  it  right  to  notice  this  sentence  as  a  subtle  form  of  legality,  ^ery  prev- 
alent wilh  young  Christians,  and  not  unknown  to  exercised  Christians  in  a  higher  stage 
of  maturity.  The  chastisement  of  the  rod  is  indeed  numbered  among  the  rich  provisions 
of  the  everlasting  Covenant  (Psalm  Ixxxix.  30 — 32);  and  usually  the  Lord  makes  the 
backslidings  of  his  children  the  instruments  of  his  salutary  correction.  (Jer.  ii.  19.) 
But  let  us  never  seem  to  dictate  to  him  the  mode  of  his  discipline  ;  and  especially  let  us 
not  limit  the  absolute  and  unbounded  freedom  of  the  Gospel,  which  opens  the  way  of  im- 
mediate and  complete  acceptayice  to  those  who  deserve  a  more  protracted  banishment  from 
his  favor.  The  expectation  of  an  indefinitely  distant  return  paralyzes  the  present  eflbrt; 
while  the  freeness  of  mercy  opens  the  door  of  insUnt  hope  for  the  most  hopeless,  (Isaiah 
xliii.  23— 25,)  and  indeed  induces  the  constraining  motive  to  the  first  step  of  penitence. 
(Ibid,  xliv  22.) 


112  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

of  half  its  difficulties  ;  and  great  will  be  our  sin  and  misery,  if  we 
walk  not  in  it  wiih  a  cheerful  devoted  resolve,  that  every  future 
step  may  be  for  his  glory,  who  first  led  us  into  it,' 

The  next  letter  displays  the  jealous  though  exquisite  enjoyment 
of  her  sources  of  legitimate  pleasure  in  the  work  of  God. 

^Hastings,  July,  1823. 

'I  am  no  longer  sad,  unless  a  pleasure  too  profound  for  laughter 
or  gayety  can  be  called  sadness.  There  are  times  when  I  feel  un- 
happy, because  I  am  so  happy — because  I  can  derive  such  exqui- 
site enjoyment  from  objects  which  pass  aw^ay  in  a  moment,  while 
the  things  of  eternal  duration  make  only  a  liglit  and  fleeting  im- 
pression on  my  soul.  I  cannot,  however,  forbid  myself  from  en- 
joying the  delights,  which  here  present  themselves  every  minute  to 
my  mind ;  and  you  must  pardon  me  if  I  fatigue  you  with  many 
absurdities.' 

The  following  allusion  to  her  early  attainments  cannot  fail  of 
interesting  the  reader. 

'  There  are  periods  in  the  life  of  every  person,  which  have  re- 
spect only  to  tlie  intellect,  but  which  affect,  however,  all  the  rest 
of  the  lite,  and  to  which  may  be  traced  up  almost  all  the  intel- 
lectual qualities  which  that  person  possesses.  It  appears  to  me, 
that  the  period  to  which  my  mind  recurs  with  the  greatest  pleasure 
is  that,  when  I  began  to  learn  Milton  as  a  simple  act  of  memory.^ 
What  a  low  and  unworthy  motive !  However,  when  my  soul 
began  to  open,  to  understand  a  little  his  noble  ideas,  so  entire  a 
change  was  made  in  my  inclinations  and  taste,  that  I  can  hardly 
believe  myself  to  be  the  same  person.' 

The  next  letter  gives  a  profitable  application  of  Scripture,  to- 
gether with  an  interesting  train  of  remark. 

'  June,  1823. 
'  One  text  of  Scripture  has  lately  dwelt  much  upon  my  mind,  and 
seemed  like  a  sentence  of  condemnation  upon  my  worldly-minded- 
ness  and  inconsistency.  It  is  that  short  but  expressive  description 
of  the  conversion  from  sin — "And  he  rose  up,  aud  left  all,  and  fol- 
lowed him. "2  Oh  !  what  a  warning — and  yet  by  me  unheeded 
warning — does  it  seem  to  rise  and  shake  off  these  fetters  of  sloth 
and  inactivity — to  leave  all,  even  the  dearest  friends,  the  most  deep- 
rooted  habits,  which  can  come  in  the  way  of  this  grand  end,  and 
to  follow  .Testis  through  affliclion  and  difficulties,  in  all  the  meek 
simplicity  and  lowly  dependence  of  a  little  child  !  May  he  give  us 
strength  thus  to  follow  his  loved  steps  !  ]May  he  enable  us  to  walk 
hand  in  hand,  mutually  encouraging  and  supporting  each  other, 

1  See  page  12.  "  Luke  v.  28. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  113 

till  we  come  to  the  presence  of  his  glory,  there  to  abide  forever ! 
I  well  know  the  feeling  you  mention  with  regard  to  another  world. 
But  when  thinking  of  this,  I  am  unfortunately  apt  to  reverse  it,  and 
to  consider  the  past  as  a  painful  dream,  and  the  present  as  some- 
thing too  disagreeable  to  be  real;  while  I  look  forward  to  future 
hopes  and  schemes  till  the  dreams  of  my  imagination  assume  the 
shape  of  delightful  realities  ;  and  in  stretching  forward  to  them,  I 
forget,  that  it  is  only  in  the  sober  and  continual  routine  of  present 
duties,  that  I  can  hope  to  attain  those  delightful  expectations.' 

Her  seasons  of  prayer  appear  to  have  been,  in  common  with  all 
Christians,  times  of  severe  conflict.  The  following  extract,  after 
alluding  to  the  blots  that  too  often  deform  the  profession  of  the 
Gospel,  adverts  to  this  point. 

'  Torquay,  April  12,  1825. 
'How  many  ways  there  are  of  dishonoring  the  Christian  pro- 
fession! some  by  ill  humor;  some  by  coldness;  some  by  im- 
moderate zeal;  others  by  the  fear  of  man.  Oh  !  my  dear  friend, 
let  us  seek  to  ornament  our  profession  ;  let  us  see  in  the  unlimited 
compassion  of  our  good  Shepherd,  pardon  for  our  past  extreme  luke- 
warmness,  and  Divine  strength  to  shake  off  the  drowsiness  which 
oppresses  us.  Not  only  the  prayers  which  I  offer  for  myself,  but 
those  which  I  offer  up  for  you,  seem  to  be  covered  with  a  cloud 
through  which  they  cannot  penetrate.  My  prayers  did  I  say  ?  I 
do  not  pray — I  am  frightened  when  I  think  of  the  state  in  which  I 
am.  If  you  are  in  a  more  spiritual  frame,  when  at  the  feet  of  the 
Saviour,  remember  her  who  is  gone  so  far  away.' 

To  another  of  her  correspondents  she  thus  writes  : 

'AjirW^Q,  1827. 
'I  can  hardly  tell  you  what  a  strange  state  I  am  in — one  minute 
longing  after  holiness  so  intensel}^,  that  I  feel  as  if  1  should  die  if  I 
did  not  get  it:  the  next  so  full  of  vain  thoughts,  that  I  hardly 
know  what  real  spiritual  holiness  is.  I  never  had  such  clear  views 
of  tlie  extreme  depravity  of  ray  heart  and  life.  Every  day  I  learn 
something  new  about  my  helplessness  and  blindness,  and  dreadful 
wickedness.  But  though  I  can  spread  these  things  before  God  in 
prayer,  I  cannot  mourn  over  them  ;  or  if  I  do,  it  is  from  a  sense 
of  my  misery — not  from  a  view  of  Him  whom  I  have  pierced. 
Well  !  I  know  this  hardness  of  heart  is  a  part  of  the  complaint 
under  which  I  groan,  and  which  will  be  removed  by  the  great 
Physician.  But  I  am  sometimes  confounded  by  the  seemingly  con- 
trary answers  I  receive  to  prayer,  though  in  the  end  I  feel  the  deal- 
ings of  God  with  me  to  have  been  wise  and  just.  For  instance — 
after  having  prayed  much  for  a  sense  of  sin,  I  seem  to  have  been 
left  to  the  power  of  it.  I  feel  left  to  strive  with  a  great  enemy,  who 
tramples  me  with  the  greatest  ease  under  his  feet.     Let  me  not  ua- 

8 


114  MEMOIR    OF    MARV    JANE    GRAHAM. 

justly  murmur  against  my  dearest  and  wisest  Saviour.  For  he 
leaves  me  not  lonor  at  the  mercy  of  my  cruel  adversary,  but  ap- 
pears on  my  behalf  often  when  I  have  the  least  expectation  of  it. 
One  tiling  distresses  me  very  much.  It  is  so  strange.  I  have  for 
some  time  past  scarcely  ever  enjoyed  a  spiritual  sabbath.  I  often 
enjoy  a  sabbath  on  week-days  ;  but  when  Sunday  comes  (I  mean 
the  last  three  or  four,)  all  my  spiritual  feelings  go  ;  religion  seems 
the  d idlest  thing  in  the  world,  and  vain  thoughts  the  pleasantest ; 
I  cannot  tell  you  how  the  comfort  of  the  day  is  destroyed.  It  was 
the  case  the  whole  of  yesterday  till  quite  night,  when  the  accidental 
opening  upon  this  little  verse  of  Toplady's  brought  back  the  loveli- 
ness of  Christ  to  my  thoughts  with  such  sweetness,  and  filled  me 
with  such  longings  after  Him,  that  for  some  time  I  could  not  sleep : 

Less  than  thyself  will  not  suffice, 

My  comfort  to  restore ; 
More  than  thyself  I  cannot  crave, 

And  thou  canst  give  no  more. 

Oh,  to  be  "filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God!"  to  have  "Christ 
dwelling  in  our  hearts  by  faith  !''  to  be  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost ! 
To  know  that  this  is  mine  ;  and  yet  for  want  of  faith  I  so  often 
make  my  heart  as  a  cage  of  unclean  birds.  My  dearest  friend,  I 
have  chosen  this  verse  for  my  portion,  my  treasure  in  this  world 
and  the  next.  I  recommend  it  to  you ;  and  I  know  God  will  give 
it  to  us,  and  abundantly  fulfil  our  wishes  above  all  that  we  can 
ask  or  think — Ezek.  xliv.  28.  What  a  glorious  portion  !  Hard  as 
my  heart  is,  and  blind  as  my  eyes  are,  I  see  and  feel  a  little  of  its 
excellence :  but  then  so  often  my  soul  forgets  her  joy,  looks  back 
upon  the  world,  and  shrinks  from  the  choice,  which  a  few  minutes 
before  seemed  so  unutterably  desirable  !' 

At  another  time  she  writes  in  the  same  strain. 

'Mayl^,  1827. 
'  I  think  I  would  give  up  every  prospect  of  worldly  happiness  that 
I  have,  or  ever  can  have,  to  have  these  vain  thoughts  crucified  and 
nailed  to  the  cross  of  Jesus ;  and  yet  often,  the  more  I  want  to  be 
delivered  from  them,  the  more  obstinately  I  cleave  to  them,  and  I 
am  so  soon  tired  of  praying  against  them.  But  the  everlasting 
covenant  fills  me  with  hope  and  comfort — "  I  will  put  my  fear  in 
their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart  from  me.  I  will  put  my  law 
in  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts."  " 

The  next  letter  shortly  afterwards  is  of  a  similar  character. 
The  spirit  of  tender  carefulness  that  marks  the  closing  allusion 
is  worthy  of  special  remark. 

'  Jer.  xxxii.  40;  xxxi.  33. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  115 

'  Stoke,  June  2,  1827. 
'I  never  wanted  something  to  awaken  and  alarm  me  so  much 
as  I  do  now.  I  think  I  could  be  content  to  have  some  very  great 
affliction,  if  it  would  but  restore  me  to  communion  with  God.  I 
told  you  how  much  vain  thoughts  had  tempted  and  annoyed  me. 
When  I  last  wrote  to  you,  I  felt  confident  of  being  soon  made  more 
"  than  conqueror  through  him  that  loved  me."  But  I  have  lately 
left  off  striving  against  them ;  and  now  having  turned  "  the  house 
of  prayer  into  a  den  of  thieves,"  I  know  not  how  to  cast  them  out 
again.     Oh  !  that  Jesus  himself  would  drive  them  from  his  teni- 

pfe,  though  it  be  with  a  scourge.'     With  regard  to ,  I  feel  it 

more  and  more  my  duty  to  send  my  letter.  But  what  I  have  writ- 
ten has  been  given  to  me,  and  I  am  afraid  to  finish  it,  lest  I  should, 
in  my  worldly  and  unbelieving  frame,  mix  something  of  my  own 
with  it.' 

Yet  her  deep  self-abasing  apprehensions  were  not— except,  pos- 
sibly, at  seasons  of  temptation — tinctured  with  despondency.  From 
the  tone  of  many  of  the  preceding  letters  it  is  evident,  that  she 
knew  (he  fulness  of  her  resources  in  the  promises  of  the  Gospel : 
and  in  her  prostrate  humiliation  of  soul  she  did  not  cease  to  plead 
them  to  the  uttermost  of  her  warranted  expectations.  Thus  she 
>^'rites  to  a  friend : 

' and  I,  and  all  took  the  sacrament  yesterday.     I  never  felt 

so  much — '  the  remembrance  of  these  our  misdoings  is  grievous  ; 
the  burden  of  them  is  intolerable.'  Is  it  not  great  and  free  love, 
which  has  made  that  a  burden  to  us,  which  was  once  our  delight ; 
and  that  intolerable,  which  we  once  drank  up  like  water?  But 
what  puzzles  and  alarms  me  is,  that  it  should  be  sometimes  in- 
tolerable, and  yet  not  forsaken  ;  and  sometimes  at  the  moment 
when  I  feel  it  to  be  intolerable,  the  struggle  to  give  it  up  is  more 
intolerable.  The  only  thing  that  makes  me  feel  a  holy  hatred  of 
sin,  is  the  thought,  that,  even  when  it  seems  sweetest  to  me,  the 
eye  of  Jesus  beholds  it  as  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing ;  and  I  shall 
soon  look  upon  it  as  He  does.  It  is  "  that  abominable  thing  which 
He  hates.''2  It  is  that  abominable  thing  which  my  wretched 
abominable  heart  loves.  But  then  I  do  hate  myself  for  loving  it ; 
and  I  do  not  know  anything  I  would  not  thank  God  for  depriving 
me  of,  if  it  would  tend  to  make  me  see  sin  as  He  does.  I  know 
this  is  the  way  you  feel.  Then  let  us  take  comfort  in  the  thought 
that  Jesus  has  done  something  for  us,  and  to  us  who  have  (though 
so  little)  more  will  be  given.  "  Open  thy  mouth  wide,  and  I  will 
fill  it ;"  this  often  gives  me  comfort,  (as  indeed  the  whole  of  the 
eighty-first  Psalm  does):  but  then  we  can  no  more  open  our 
mouths,  than  we  can  fill  them.  God  must  open  them  wide,  and 
fill  them  too.  I  feel  so  nmch  comfort  in  thinking  that  we  cannot 
open  our  mouths  too  wide ;  we  cannot  be  too  greedy  of  heavenly 

1  John  ii.  15.  ^  Jer.  xliv.  4. 


11$  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

food,  nor  too  grasping  of  heavenly  riches.  It  is  not  presumption, 
but  faith  and  humility,  to  expect  that  God  for  Christ's  sake  will  fill 
our  earthen  vessels  with  an  eminent  measure  of  his  heavenly 
treasures ;  and  the  greatest  eminence  in  Christian  grace  h  to  lose 
sight  of  self,  to  be  willing  to  be  least  of  all — to  be  nothing,  and  to 
look  upon  others  as  nothing,  except  as  they  are  in  Christ,  and  to 
look  upon  Christ  as  everything.  But  oh,  how  far  am  I  from  this  ! 
Yet  I  do  not  despair.  I  have  had  glimpses  of  it.  I  trust  it  shall 
one  day  be  the  settled  temper  of  both  our  souls.  Pray  for  me,  and 
pray  that  1  may  be  enabled  to  pray  for  you.' 

The  darkness  and  conflicts  of  her  mind,  were  doubtless  much  in- 
creased by  the  active  power  of  the  enemy  operating  upon  her 
enervated  health.  It  is  delightful,  however,  to  mark  the  cheering 
irradiations  of  sunshine  breaking  in  upon  her,  as  marked  in  the 
following  letter : 

'  November  21,  IS26. 
My  beloved  Friend, 
'  I  can  almost  say  in  the  words  of  Scripture,  which  you  love,  that 
the  winter  of  my  soul  is  gone,  and  that  the  sweet  season  of  the 
springing  of  flowers,  and  of  singing  of  birds  is  come,  and  that  the 
voice  of  the  celestial  dove  makes  itself  heard.'  I  again  begin  t^) 
know  what  it  is  to  walk,  "  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible."  But 
do  not  suppose  that  I  am  in  a  very  spiritual  stale.  But  the  least 
ray  of  the  light  of  his  countenance  appears  immense,  after  so  many 

weeks  passed  in  darkness  and   rebellion.     Oh  !    my ,  let   us 

exert  every  effort  to  find  again  the  lover  and  the  beloved  of  our 
souls.  Who  knows  but  his  own  time  may  come,  in  which  he  will 
fully  reveal  himself  to  us?  Let  us  pray  for  each  other,  that  we 
may  be  wholly  separated  from  the  world  and  from  ourselves,  and 
more  closely  united  to  Jesus,  in  whose  strength  we  shall  be  able  to 
do  all  things.  I  cannot  feel  that  deep  repentance  that  I  ought  to 
feel  for  my  repeated  transgressions.  But  even  in  this  I  see  the 
Divine  love,  because  every  strong  emotion  affects  my  health.' 

Her  views  of  the  power  of  faith  in  prayer  were  most  enlivening. 
'I  never  pray.'^ — said  she  one  day  to  a  dear  friend — 'without  a 
promise.'  On  that  promise  she  was  enabled  to  rely  with  entire 
confidence.  Referring  to  the  fulness  and  power  of  the  Apostle's 
prayer,  Eph.  i.  17,  18,  and  to  that  sublime  doxolog}^,  chap.  iii.  20, 
21, — she  added,  '  What  a  prayer  was  this  !  How  comprehensive  ! 
How  much  are  we  encouraged  to  ask  for !  Why  then  do  we  receive 
so  little,  but  because  our  hearts  are  not  sufficiently  enlarged  ?  We 
are  wanting  m  faith.  We  do  not  expect  enough  from  God.  We 
are  straitened  in  ourselves.  We  are  not  straitened  in  God.  How 
much  more  should  we  receive,  if  we  "  continued  instant  in  prayer," 

1  See  Cant.  ii.  11,  12. 


MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 


m 


and  "prayed  without  ceasing."  We  are  like  the  King  of  Israel, 
who,  when  commanded  by  Elisha  to  smite  on  the  ground,  pro- 
voked the  wrath  of  the  man  of  God,  by  smiting  only  thrice,  and 
then  staying.  Whereas,  had  he  smitten  five  or  six  times,  he 
would  not  only  have  gained  a  temporary  advantage  over  his  ene- 
mies, but  would  have  utterly  destroyed  them.'  Thus  in  our  prayers 
we  are  contented  with  small  success.  We  do  not  continue  enough 
in  the  exercise.  Even  when  our  hearts  have  been  somewhat  en- 
larged, we  have  been  too  ready  to  desist,  and  rest  satisfied  without 
persevering  till  we  have  received  yet  larger  supplies  of  Divine 
grace." 

To  another  friend  she  wrote  in  the  same  enlarged  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian expectancy : — 

'May\5,  1827. 
'I  see  something  of  the  love  of  Christ,  which  I  would  not  lose 
for  worlds.  But  neither  do  you  or  I  see  half  what  may  be  seen  of 
it  even  in  this  world,  if  we  a.sk  in  faith.  Only  let  us  not  be 
afraid  of  expecting  too  much.  Let  us  stretch  our  prayers  and  ex- 
pectations to  tlie  very  uttermost  of  what  "  we  can  ask  or  think ;" 
and  as  sure  as  God  is  truth,  we  shall  receive  "exceeding  abun- 
dantly above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think."'^  We  shall  receive  all 
that  Jesus  can  ask  or  think.' 

Her  views  of  Christian  assurance,  as  set  forth  in  the  following 
letter,  were  clear  and  scriptural. 

'j7dy4,lS27. 
'My  mind  is  in  a  state  of  declension  and  deadness  to  spiritual 
things,  which  is  the  more  awful  to  me,  from  having  enjoyed  nmch 
communion  with  God,  a  few  weeks  ago.  I  know  not  how  to  de- 
scribe this  state  better  than  by  saying,  that  prayer  seems  to  be  my 
burden ;  and  evil  thoughts  my  element ;  and  that,  instead  of 
maintaining  a  continued  conflict  against  this  inclination,  I  feel  a 
kind  of  obstinate  hardened  disposition  in  my  mind,  leading  me  to 
yield  rather  to  Satan  than  to  God.  But  even  during  all  this  time, 
my  evidence  of  being  a  child  of  God,  though  not  brouglit  with  any 
realizing  sweetness  to  my  heart,  yet  remains  quite  clear  and  un- 
clouded to  my  understanding.  But  my  evidence  is  this — not  that 
I  am  now  in  a  spiritual  frame  of  mind  (though  that  would  be  a 
delightful  confirmation  of  it) — but  that — let  my  state  be  what  it 
will, — still  I  cannot  forget,  that  I  have  cast  myself  a  thousand  and 
a  thousand  times  upon  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  I  have 
committed  my  soul  to  him;  and,  though  I  ani  unfaithful  and  un- 
believing, yet  [  know  that  he  abidelh  ever  faithful,  to  keep  that 
which  has  once  been  committed  to  him.     Besides — I  have  told  him 

1  2  Kings  xiii.  14—19.  2  Eph.  iii.  03. 


118  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

again  and  again — and  that  with  agonizing  earnestness, — what  a 
weak  backsliding-  heart  I  have  intrusted  to  his  care  ;  and  that,  if  he 
does  not  hold  me  up,  I  shall  fall.  And  how  can  I  think  that  he  has 
forgotten  all  my  prayer  for  keeping,  and  all  his  promises  of  keeping 
me,  and  that  he  means  to  let  me  full  forever  ?  Oh  !  I  cannot  think 
so.  I  cling  to  my  assurance,  and  caimot  but  think,  that  as  Christ  — 
and  Christ  alone — is  the  foundation  of  it,  it  must  be  well-founded. 
I  must  think  (I  would  say  it  with  reverence)  that  God  would  cease 
to  be  "  a  faithful  Creator,"^  if  he  could  give  up  a  soul  that  has  been 
so  often  confided  to  his  keeping.  There  is  one  verse,  that  in  the 
darkest  and  coldest  seasons  comes  with  comfort  to  my  mind.  I 
know  that  I  have  often  asked  my  heavenly  Father  for  bread.  Shall 
I  think  he  has  given  me  a  stone  ?^  I  have  asked  him  for  the 
Spirit  of  truth.  Shall  I  think  he  has  put  me  off  with  the  spirit  of 
delusion  V 

This  letter  illustrates  the  true  character  of  Christian  confidence, 
as  exclusively  based  upon  the  word  of  God.  It  is  independent  of 
external  excitement.  It  is  the  reliance  of  faith  upon  the  immutable 
engagements  of  Divine  faithfulness.  Much  that  passes  under  this 
name  is  the  assurance  of  feeling,  rather  than  of  faith.  The  con- 
solations of  the  Gospel  are  believed,  not  because  they  are  declared, 
hut  because  they  are  felt.  Hence,  when  the  comfort  is  lost,  the 
ground  of  confidence  is  destroyed.  This,  however,  is  an  inversion 
of  the  scriptural  rule — walking  by  sight,  not  by  flvilh^ — unlike  a 
tried  saint  of  old,  who  when  "walking  in  darkness,  and  having  no 
light,"  had  learnt  to  "stay  himself  upon  his  God' — "Though  he 
slay  me,  yei  will  I  trust  in  him.'''* 

Any  encouragement,  however,  to  be  drawn  from  a  past  operation 
of  faith  must  be  carefully  connected  with  its  present  exercise.  Its 
first  elTort  indeed  linked  the  Christian's  heart  in  indissoluble  union 
with  his  Saviour.  Yet  the  principle  must  not  be  confined  to  a 
single  act,  by  which  at  some  former  time  he  came  to  Christ.  It  is 
rather  the  continued  habit  of  the  soul,  by  which  he  is  "  coming''''^ 
to  Christ  in  constant  motion.  In  Miss  Graham's  case,  the  earnest- 
ness and  intensity  of  her  mind  clearly  marked  the  active  though 
unconscious  influence  of  the  habit  of  faith,  even  while  her  recollec- 
tion was  fixed — perhaps  too  exclusively — upon  some  former  and 
determinate  exercise. 

But  was  Miss  Graham  warranted  in  her  strong  assurance,  in  a 
state  of  conscious  and  acknowledged  backsliding  ?  When  we  con- 
sider the  character  of  her  religion — self-suspicious,  jealous  of  declen- 
sion, earnestly  longing  for  conmiunion  with  God,  content  with  no 
ordinary  measure  of  conformity  to  the  Divine  image,  we  shall  not 
be  disposed  to  accuse  her  of  presumption,  or  of  a  loose  and  careless 
profession.     Hers  was  not  a  paralyzing  security — a  self-indulgent 

»  1  Peter  iv.  19.  2  Hil<e  xi.  11—13.  ^  2  Cor.  v.  7. 

*  Isa.  i.  10.    Job  xiii.  15.  5  i  Peu-r  ii.  4.     Comp.  Gal.  ii.  .iO. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  ijt0 

repose — but  an  habitual  quickness  of  spiritual  discernment,  and 
dutiful  watchfulness.  It  was  probably  her  intense  solicitude  for 
higher  conformity  to  her  Lord,  tliat  induced  her,  like  holy  Bradford, 
to  pass  this  severe  judgment  upon  herself,  in  the  deep  consciousness 
of  lier  infinite  distance  from  the  ultimate  point  of  attainment,  and 
her  sometimes  apparent  contrariety  to  it.  Iniquity  felt  and  iniquity 
allowed,  are,  however,  essentially  different.  When  allowed,  the  soul 
is  benumbed  and  blinded  in  comparative  unconsciousness.  When 
hated,  the  sensibility  of  its  defilements  is  so  keen,  and  the  apprehen- 
sions of  its  guilt  so  afllicting,  that  even  in  a  state  of  conscious  accept- 
ance, the  soul  is  constrained  to  "  write  bitter  things"  against  itself. 
The  prostrate  humiliating  confessions  of  that  holy  saint  of  the 
Reformation  just  alluded  to,  in  no  degree  hindered  the  peaceful  rest 
of  his  soul  upon  the  engagements  of  the  faithfulness  and  love  of  his 
God. 

We  could  not  indeed  but  strongly  discountenance  an  assured 
confidence  in  a  state  of  open  sin,  or  in  any  habitually  allowed  incon- 
sistency with  a  Chiistian  profession.  Yet  we  arc  persuaded  that  a 
personal  assurance  has  often  proved  the  only  chain  of  love,  that  has 
restrained  the  backslider  from  total  apostasy — from  saying,  "  There 
is  no  hope — for  I  have  loved  strangers,  and  after  them  will  I  go."^ 
Often,  too,  has  it  been  the  appointed  means  of  conviction  arid 
recovery  from  backsliding.  A  realized  sense  of  a  Father's  love,  in 
the  tenderness  and  wisdom  of  merited  chastening,  has  pierced  many 
a  rebellious  child  with  contrite  sorrow,  and  has  brought  him  back 
to  his  Father's  feet  with  simplicity,  gratitude,  and  confidence. 
While  humbled  under  the  most  distressing  consciousness  of  back- 
sliding, he  is  yet  encouraged  by  the  remembrance,  that  the  principle 
and  warrant  of  assurance  is  not  in  himself,  and  that  his  ground  of 
confidence  is  unchangeably  the  same.  '  I  see,'  said  Miss  Graham 
on  one  occasion,  '  that  God  is  n)y  God  in  covenant.  He  is  un- 
changeable though  I  continually  vary.' 

The  duty  and  importance  of  an  elevated  enjoyment  of  scrip- 
tural privelege,  are  delightfully  inculcated  in  the  following  letter  :— 

'What  a  privilege,'  she  observes,  (speaking  of  a  blessed  saint 

now  in  heaven)  has  Mrs. !  to  be  walking  so  closely  with  God, 

and  enjoying  so  nuich  of  his  presence.  "  Oh  !  that  I"  thus  always 
"  knew  where  I  might  find  him,  that  I  might  come  even  to  his 
seat !"  But  I  never  had  so  little  of  his  presence  as  now,  and  if  it 
sometimes  returns  for  a  moment,  the  emotions  of  my  mind  seem 
almost  more  than  I  can  bear,  so  that  I  dread,  even  wliile  I  long  for, 
their  recurrence.  The  true  remedy  for  all  this  would  be,  that  set- 
tled quiet  peace,  which  is  the  eft'ect  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ. 
But  this  I  want  faith  to  lay  hold  of  as  my  own.  I  have  been  sur- 
prised lately  at  the  slighting  and  almost  suspicion,  with  W'hicli 
friends  appear  to  look  upon  spiritual  peace  and  joy,  as  if  it  were 

1  Jer.  ii.  25. 


120  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

rather  a  snare  to  be  guarded  against,  than  a  privilege  to  be  sought 
after.  Yet  surely — "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always,  and  again  I  say, 
rejoice,"' — is  as  much  a  command  as — "  Thou  shalt  not  iiill — Thou 
shalt  not  steal."  And  I  know  nothing  except  this  "joy  of  the 
Lord,"  which  is  said  to  be  "  our  strength,'"^  that  can  so  fill  the 
heart,  as  to  leave  no  room  for  rejoicing  in  self  or  in  the  world.  And 
do  you  not  think,  that  the  more  of  this  holy  joy  is  "  shed  abroad  in 
the  heart,"  the  more  godly  sorrow  will  dwell  there/  At  least  I 
find  it  to  l3e  so.  They  seem  to  me  to  be  inseparable  companions  in 
our  experience  on  earth.  Were  I  to  mention  the  sweetest  ingredient 
in  the  cup  of  joy  or  sorrow  (I  scarcely  know  which  to  call  it)  that 
we  are  permitted  to  taste  here  ;  it  would  be  the  melting  of  the 
heart,  springing  from  the  sense  of  that  innneasurable  un worthi- 
ness, which  gives  us  some  faint  conception  how  low  Clirist  has 
stooped  to  save  us  I  Why  then,  should  it  be  thought  presumptuous 
to  desire  an  abundant  measure  of  the  very  thing  which  we  are 
commanded  to  have?  Why  should  this  desire  for  "this  peace  of 
God  which  passeth  all  understanding,"  be  construed  into  a  de- 
pendence upon  frames  and  feelings  ? 

'  Sometimes  I  think  we  might  have  almost  as  much  joy  as  tiiere 
is  in  heaven,  if  we  had  but  a  holy  boldness  to  ask  for  it,  and  to  re- 
ceive. We  are  not  straitened  in  Christ ;  "  but  we  are  straitened 
in  our  own  bowels  ;"  so  that,  because  joy  is  an  undeserved  guest 
in  a  heart  defiled  by  sin,  we  dare  not  receive  it  as  a  lawful  guest, 
though  this  heart  has  been  cleansed  with  the  blood  of  Jesus.  But 
what  will  it  be,  my  dearest  friend,  to  open  our  eyes  upon  that 
world,  where  "perfect  love  casteth  out  fear"^  forever?  I  try  to 
conceive  it  sometimes,  but  I  cannot.  There  is  nothing  I  find  so  dif- 
ficult, as  to  imagine  entire  deliverance  from  the  spirit  of  bondage. 
What  will  it  be,  to  be ""  face  to  face"  with  Christ ;  "  to  see  him  as 
he  is;"^  to  "see  the  King  in  his  beauty,"^  in  "His  own  glory,  in 
his  Father's  glory  ;"  and  yet  to  look  iipon  him  vntho\it  fear !  We 
had  need  have  these  earthly  tabernacles  taken  dov/n  first ;  as  they 
never  could  sustain  it.  And  yet  this  is  that  death,  at  which  even  re- 
newed human  nature  shrinks ;  though,  if  we  could  view  it  aright, 
it  is  but  the  shutting  out  of  fear,  and  the  letting  in  of  perfect  love 
forever.' 

It  is  indeed  to  be  feared,  as  Miss  Graham  has  observed,  that 
there  is  a  class  of  professors  among  us,  who  depreciate  the  glowing 
exercises  of  Christian  feehng.  Their  religion  is  rather  of  an  intel- 
lectual, than  of  a  spiritual  character.  They  reason,  explain,  de- 
monstrate, vindicate.  But  they  are  cautious  of  extremes.  They 
realize  the  seriousness,  importance,  and  restraints  of  the  Gospel, 
rather  than  its  high  privileges  and  constraining  obligations.  The 
exercise  of  their  judgments,  from  this  defect  of  a  deep  influence  of 

'  Phil.  iv.  4.     1  Thess.  v.  16,  2  Neh.  viii.  10.  ^  i  John  iv.  18 

«  Ibid.  iii.  2.     Rev.  xxii.  4.  s  isa.  xxxiii.  17. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  121 

spiritual  religion,  materially  checks  the  healthful  and  animating 
glow  of  their  affections.  Their  views  of  the  fundamental  doctrines 
are  generally  orthodox,  and  they  maintain  a  correct  external  de- 
portment. But  they  appear  to  have  a  scanty  enjoyment  of  that 
new-created  taste  and  element  of  pleasure,  which  is  connected  with 
the  revelation  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  soul.  They  seem  to  be 
little  conversant  with  the  varied  exercises  of  a  devotional  habit  of 
mind — such  as  holy  delight  in  communion  witli  God,  lively  contem- 
plation of  the  Saviour,  spiritual  meditation  and  enjnyment  of  the 
sacred  word,  and  heavenly  aspiration  of  soul.  Their  ordinary  con- 
versation on  religion  is  restrained  from  that  intimate  and  free  com- 
munication on  spiritual  sympathies,  which  infuses  mutual  warmth, 
refresliment,  and  energy  in  the  endeavor,  like  Jonathan  and  David, 
to  "strengthen  each  other's  hands  in  God  ;"'  to  unite  in  a  closer  in- 
tercourse with  our  Divine  Saviour,  and  to  invigorate  our  purposes 
of  consecration  to  his  service. 

Such  persons  seem  too  little  to  consider  the  strong  and  important 
connection  of  religion  with  the  affections.  But  it  is  only  their 
lively  and  powerful  exercise,  that  is  at  all  proportioned  to  the  vast 
expanse  and  grandeur  of  the  subject.  We  find,  therefore,  that  re- 
ligion in  heaven,  where  it  exists  in  its  most  refined  purity  and  per- 
fection, is  i^uich  engaged  in  the  delightful  affections  of  joy  and  love, 
and  in  the  fervent  expressions  of  these  feelings  in  everlasting  praise. 
The  scriptural  exhibition  of  religion  also,  in  the  records  of  the  most 
eminent  servants  of  God,  and  in  the  rich  display  of  the  promises 
of  Christ,  is  of  the  same  glowing  character. 

The  religion  of  the  "  man  after  God's  heart"  was  a  religion  of 
the  affections.  Every  natural  affection  of  his  soul  was  filled  with 
God.  In  his  book  of  Psalms,  written  with  the  pen  of  inspiration 
for  the  public  use  of  the  church,  we  behold  him — not  describing  the 
proper  individualities  of  his  own  experience  ;  but  leading  the  wor- 
ship of  the  universal  church  in  the  expression  of  deep  humiliation, 
holy  admiration,  fervent  love  and  joy  in  his  God,  earnest  thirstings 
and  pantings  for  his  presence,  delight  in  his  ordinances,  devout  ac- 
knowledgments for  his  unbounded  mercy,  and  exulting  triumph  in 
his  faithful  love.  The  book  of  Canticles  also — however  we  may 
refrain  from  a  minute  consideration  of  some  of  its  imagery — ex- 
hibits those  vigorous  exercises  of  spiritual  affections,  which  are  con- 
sonant to  the  experience  of  the  lively  Christian,  and  which  excite 
in  him  no  conmion  measure  of  admiring,  trusting,  and  grateful 
love  to  his  Divine  Saviour.  The  corresponding  New  Testament 
development  of  our  privileges  embraces  those  high  and  heavenly 
blessings,  wliich  draw  out  the  affections  of  the  soul  into  exciting 
employment— such  as  "peace  with  God  ;"  constant  "access"  to  his 
presence  and  favor;  "  rejoicing  in  hope  of  his  glory;  glorying  in 
tribulations,"  as  the  pathway  thither  ;  "  the  love  of  God  slied  abroad 
in  the  heart ;"  and  "  the  enjoyment  of  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 

'  1  Sam.  xxiii.  16, 


122  MEMOIK    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

Christ ;"  all  of  which  are  presented  to  us  in  a  single  view,  as  our 
present  portion  and  source  of  happiness.' 

If,  therefore,  we  acknowledge  the  Gospel  in  its  faith  and  obliga- 
tions, while  defectively  apprehending  and  estimating  its  privileges— 
if  our  judgment  has  been  informed  and  established  without  a  full 
and  habitual  exercise  of  the  affections,  we  stand  convicted  of  an 
imperfect  reception  of  Christ,  and  of  realizing  only  a  partial  interest 
in  his  unspeakably  rich  enjoyments.  The  class  of  professors,  to 
whom  we  more  immediately'  allude,  are  little  aware  of  the  extent  of 
loss  to  their  own  souls,  or  of  evil  to  the  church,  from  tlieir  neglect 
of  seating  religion  more  deeply  and  powerfully  in  their  affections. 
The  spiritual  tone  of  their  religion  is  materially  deteriorated.  The 
refreshing  influence  of  the  ordinances  is  weakened.  The  Holy 
Comforter  is  restrained  in  his  intimate  communion  with  their  souls. 
A  want  of  tender  sensibility  for  the  most  part  characterizes  their 
profession.  The  careless  but  discerning  world  mark  no  perceptible 
elevation  of  heavenly  character,  and  are  led  to  think  that  the  pro- 
mised privileges  of  the  Gospel  are  a  delusive  paradise.  And  pro- 
fessors of  their  own  diss  gladly  take  shelter  under  this  lower 
standard  of  the  cross,  as  a  respectable  evangelical  religion,  precluding 
them  from  ma:iy  inconvenient  sacrifices,  to  which  a  more  decided 
exhibition  of  Cliristian  devotedness  might  have  subjected  them. 

This  restraint  upon  the  affections  brings  us  therefore  into  a  lower 
atmosphere  of  the  Gospel,  unvisited  with  tliefall  power  of  its  holy 
influence.  This  may  readily  account  for  that  conformity  to  the 
principles,  habits,  and  conversation  of  the  world,  which  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  is  connected  with  an  evangelical  profession.  The 
enlivening  power  of  faith,  operating  through  the  medium  of  the 
affections^  would  secure  a  triumphant  victory  in  every  form  of 
worldly  conflict.-  and  enable  the  disciples  now,  as  in  times  past, 
boldly  to  confess  their  Master's  name,^  to  glory  in  his  cross,"  and  to 
delight  in  his  service.^  But  this  is  the  "  one  thing"  that  is  too  oftea 
"  lacking  :"  and  for  which,  as  a  principle  of  entire  consecration  to 
Christ,  no  substitute  can  be  found. 

Let  us  not,  however,  while  insisting  upon  the  connection  of  the 
Gospel  with  the  affections,  be  supposed  to  advocate  a  religion  of 
impulse  or  sensation.  We  are  aware  that  excited  feelings  are  no 
proof  of  holy  alfections.  Much  that  passes  under  the  name  of  re- 
ligious feeling,  is  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  animal  emotions,  wholly 
unconnected  with  a  spiritual  principle.  Those  emotions  alone  are 
of  Divine  origin,  on  which  practical  holiness  is  ingrafted ;  and  which 
are  not  sought  for  the  pleasurable  excitement  of  the  moment,  but  as 
a  medium  for  the  exercise  of  heavenly  affections,  and  for  the  exhibi- 
tion of  self-denying  obedience.  We  remember  also,  that  the  first 
excitement  of  a  religious  feeling  is  very  different  from  that  feeling, 
as  a  fixed  habit  of  the  mind  untler  the  control  of  a  sound  judgment. 
The  example  of  the  primitive  Christians  leads  us  to  combine  iiitelli- 

1  Rom.  V.  1-5,  11.  2  John  v.  4,  5.  3  Acts  iv.  19,  20. 

4  Gal.  vi.  14.  *  Acts  xx.  24;  xxii.  13. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  'I2f3 

gence  and  energy  wilh  feeling,  and  therefore  to  suspect  the  most 
delightful  emotions,  which  do  not  bring  the  steady  light  from  heaven 
into  the  daily  path,  which  do  not  communicate  vigor,  activity,  and 
decision  to  the  character,  and  that  are  not  coiviected  with  a  dedica- 
tion of  the  whole  man  to  the  service  of  God.  Religion  is  the  dominant 
practical  principle  in  the  soul ;  and  its  practical  results  are  the  legiti- 
mate evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  the  principle.  An}'  encourage- 
ment from  the  past  exercise  of  the  affections,  irrespective  of  their 
l^esent  practical  injluence^  must  therefore  be  discountenanced  :  and 
even  this  influence  satisfactorily  ascertained  must  be  controlled  by 
the  dictates  of  a  spiritually  enlightened  judgment.  We  would 
call  the  judgment  into  constant  exercise,  under  the  influence  of 
Christian  motives.  We  woidd  regulate  '•  the  spirit  of  love"  under 
the  control  of  "  the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind."'  We  would  have 
"love"  always  to  "abound  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment." 
Only  let  it  "  abound  yet  more  and  moreP'^  Let  it  not  be  chilled, 
damped,  fettered.  Let  us  guard  against  that  frosty  elevation  of 
intellect,  which  seems  to  regard  religion  as  an  Alpine  plant,  the 
growth  only  of  a  cold  climate.  Let  us  not  separate  it  from  tliat 
exciting  glow  of  love,  in  which  we  are  quickened  to  a  sense  of  our 
obligations,  sustained  under  our  daily  trials,  and  are  raised  in  our 
present  privileges  and  prospective  anticipations  above  the  baneful 
influence  of  "  the  course"  and  spirit  "  of  this  world."  '^ 

Constitutional  causes  must,  however,  be  well  considered,  w^hile 
insisting  upon  the  strong  influence  of  religion  upon  the  affections. 
Intellectual  character  is  not  always  imbued  with  natural  sensibili- 
ties ;  while  on  the  other  hand  a  sympatlietic  tone  of  character  is 
easily  excited.  It  is  obvious  that  both  these  require  larger  measures 
of  Divine  influence — the  one,  that  the  man  may  enter  into  the 
delight  of  Christian  feeling — the  other,  that  natural  tenderness  may 
be  braced  up  to  firmness  and  stability  :  in  both  cases — that  they 
may  judge  each  other  charitably.  But  "  the  love  of  God  must  be 
shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,'^  or  we  are  not,  we 
cannot  be.  Christians. 

We  would  beg,  however,  shortly  to  advert  to  a  depreciation  of 

i2Tim.  i.  7.  sphil.  i.  9. 

3  Miss  Graham's  view  of  scriptural  sobriety,  as  distinguished  from  lukewarmness  and 
enthusiasm,  is  most  just  and  discriminating — '  I  do  not  mean,'  she  ohserves  in  her  manu- 
script, '  by  sobriety,  a  spirit  oftemporizing  worldly  prudence.  I  speak  of  f.iat  staid  con- 
siderate frame  of  mind,  which  has  its  source  in  the  full  and  calm  assurance  of  the  under- 
standing— that  maturity  of  judgment,  which,  without  checking  the  fiery  chariot  of  zeal,  di- 
rects its  course  in  the  high  road  of  consistency.  Lukewarmness  is,  however,  far  more  hate- 
ful than  enthusiasm.  The  fault  ofthe  heart  is  more  dangerous  than  the  error  of  the  head. 
Yet  are  the  flights  of  enthusiasm  most  hurtful.  Insteadof  displaying  the  foir  countenance 
of  religion,  they  present  us  with  a  distorted  caricature  of  every  feature.  The  world  is 
ready  enough  to  mistake  this  for  her  true  likeness,  and  to  ridicule  her  for  what  is  not  her 
own.  "  The  offence  of  the  cross"  is  already  a  sufficient  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of 
the  irreligious.  We  need  not  adtl  to  it  the  ill-judged  singularity  of  our  own  conduct. 
If  we  walk  closely  with  God,  that  will  make  us  singular  enough.  We  shall  certainly  be 
regarded  as  enthusiastic.  In  this  solitary  instance,  let  us  not  be  what  we  seem.  VVeare 
pspeciidly  commanded  to  "  be  sober,"  to  "add  to  our  faith  knowledge;"  and  the  Spirit, 
who  is  our  teacher  and  guide,  is  "  the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind."  (1  Peter  i.  13;  iv.  7; 
V,  8.    2  Peter  i.  5.     2  Tim.  i.  7.)  «  Romans  v.  5. 


1£4  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

scriptural  privilege  of  a  very  different  character.     There  are  some 
who  stand  even   upon   lower  ground  than  intellectual  professors. 
They  are  satisfied  with  a  small  portion  of  spiritual  enjoyment,  and 
even  that  this  modicwm  should  be  occasional,  not  constant.     They 
have  no  conception  of  any  internal  religion  answering  to  the  wrest- 
ling "  violence,"  by  which  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  taken  by 
force."'     The  warmth  of  first  impressions  subsides  as  a  matter  of 
course  ;  not  however  into  a  matured  and  solid  effectiveness,  but  into 
lukewarmness  and  inertion.      If  they  be  the  children  of  God  in  a 
Laodicean  state,  they  will  probably  be  roused  by  sharp  afflictions,  to 
a  zealous  and  penitent  profession  of  their  Master's  name,  and  by 
this  wise  and  loving  dispensation,  they  will  be  (piickened  to  hear  the 
voice  of  their  Lord,  and    introduced  into  the    full  enjoyment    of 
communion  with  him.^      It  is,  howevei",  evident,  that  every  form 
of  the  indulgence  of  sloth,  every   allowance  of  unbelief,  and  the 
influence  of  obscure  apprehension  of  the  Gospel,  operate  prejudicia-lly 
to  tlie  interests  of  the  church  and  of  true  religion.     For  thus  religion 
is  presented  to  the  world  in  a  false  and   unattractive  garb;    the 
standard  of  holiness  is  lowered  in  the  defect  of  that  enlivening  sense 
of  redeeming  love,  which  conciliates,  engages,  and  captivates  the 
heart ;  little  is  known  of  that  support  of  the  promises  of  God,  which 
overbalances  all  difficulties,  real  and  imaginary,  and  adds  more  to 
the  enjoyment  of  life,  than  suffering  can  take  away.      This  evil 
will  be  generally  traced,  except  in  cases  of  moral  delinquency  or 
constitutional   weakness,  to  the   secret  root  of  self- righteousness. 
The  simplicity  of  faith  in  the  contemplation  of  its  great  object  is 
obscured  by  an  undue  and  unevangelical  dependence  upon  evidences. 
These,  though  they  have  their  legitimate  use  as  the  confirmation 
ofourhope,^  must  have  no  connection  with  its  foundation.     When 
the  perception  of  clear  evidence  is  deficient  (as  in  times  of  temptation 
especially  is  often  the  case  ;)  faith,  leaning  upon  this  ever-changing 
support,  becomes    uncertain,  unsettled,  and    unfruitful.     Vvliereas 
under  the  darkest  destitution  of  internal  sources  of  comfort,  the 
offer,  invitation,  encouragement  and  promise  of  the  Gospel;  addressed 
to  sinners,  is  an  unfailing  and  sufficient  warrant,  such  as  nothing 
in  ourselves  can  make  more  complete.     Let,  then,  faith  be  distinctly 
and  explicitely  exercised.     Let  clear  apprehensions  of  the  ground  of 
comfort  be  diligently  sought.      Let  the  testimony  of  the  word,  not 
the  feelings  of  our  heart,  be  the  foundation  of  our  hope.     Let  Christ 
be   regarded   as   the  only   fountain  of  life,  light,  and   consolation. 
Thus  will  "Grace  and  peace  be  multiplied  unto  us  through  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  of  Jesus  our  Lord."^ 

We  close  this  section  with  giving  at  some  length,  and  with  in- 
teresting variety  of  illustration,  Miss  Graham's  sentiments  upon 
Conformiti/to  the  World— a  subject  of  vital  moment  to  the  integrity, 
consistency,  and  fruitful ness  of  the  Christian  profession. 

1  ]\£att.  xi.  12.  ^  See  Rev.  iii.  19,  20. 

3  See  the  EpLstle  of  St.  John.     See  p.  98,  <  2  Peter  i.  2. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  125 

The  first  letter  commences  with  a  few  remarks,  not  immediately 
relevant  to  the  subject,  but  which  will  be  read  with  interest. 

'  Stoke,  Feb.  21,  1827. 

*  It  seems  to  me  that  all  the  Lord's  deahngs  with  his  redeemed 
childen  speak  this  language — '■  Cease  ye  from  man.'"^  Put  not 
your  trust  in  any  earthly  comforter.  Lean  not  on  any  arm  but  the 
arm  of  your  Beloved.  "  For  the  hearts  of  the  people"  of  this  world 
"  are  full  of  idols."  Self  is  the  great  idol,  that  is  loved  and  honored 
more  than  God.  Then  comes  a  multitude  of  lesser  things,  all 
subservient  to  this  one  ;  and  if  some  little  corner  in  the  heart  is 
reserved  for  God,  or  if  the  shadow  of  a  throne  is  set  up,  where  He 
may  sit  on  solemn  occasions,  at  the  pleasure  of  the  great  idol,  then 
they  think  all  is  going  on  well,  and  Got!  loved  as  much  as  lie  could 
reasonably  expect  to  be  loved  by  creatures,  who  have  such  a  press 
of  business  on  their  hands.  But,  my  beloved  friend,  we  may  not 
do  so.  God,  who  has  purchased  us  for  his  own  inheritance,  will 
have  our  whole  heart  and  our  whole  dependence;  and  though  we 
must  rejoice  in  the  friends  He  gives  us,  yet  we  must  not  think  we 
cannot  do  without  them  ;  or  that  we  should  go  on  better,  if  we  had 
more  of  their  help.  Christ  is  all-suflicient,  and  teaches,  comforts, 
and  reproves  in  His  own  time  and  way,  and  by  His  own  means, 
without  any  need  of  our  direction.  In  looking  back  to  every  event 
of  my  life,  since  I  have  known  something  of  the  grace  of  God,  I 
find  that  there  never  has  been  anything  on  which  I  very  much 
depended,  but  God  has  straightway  removed  or  imbittered  that 
thing,  or  in  some  way  made  it  useless  to  me,  till  I  returned  to  place 
my  whole  dependence  on  Him.  But  let  us  not  accuse  our  dearest 
Lord  of  acting  unkindly  towards  us  in  sending  these  disappoint- 
ments ;  for  he  only  takes  away  other  helps  and  props,  to  make  room 
for  himself.     He  loves  us  too  well  to  suffer  any  rival  in  our  affections. 

'  I  have  read  your  dear  letter  over  and  over,  and  scarcely  know 
how  1.0  answer  it,  or  what  to  make  of  it.  Oh  that  you  had  some 
better  counsellor  than  1 !  for  I  know  not  how  to  advise  you.  I  fear 
lest  you  should  tliink  me  strict  and  gloomy,  if  I  tell  you  all  I  think  ; 
but  I  will  tell  you,  since  you  desire  it ;  and  I  know  that  God  is  both 
able  and  willing  to  give  you  joys  so  much  superior  to  every  worldly 
amusement,  that  you  will  wonder  you  could  ever  think  them  worth 
a  thought.  I  must  say  then,  that  the  world  and  worldly  amuse- 
ments, appear  to  me  quite  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  a  real 
Christian  ;  and  that  we  never  can  enjoy  happy  converse  with  God 
till  we  give  them  up.  The  Christian  is  described  in  the  Scriptures, 
as  •'  the  temple  of  the  living  God."^  Now  where  the  holy  God  takes 
up  his  abode,  surely  that  heart  must  be  sanctified  and  set  apart 
from  every  common  use,  and  wholly  devoted  to  his  service.  But 
can  God  and  the  world  reign  in  the  same  heart,  or  as  it  were  reign 
by  turns?  Shall  we  adinit  the  Lord  of  glory  in  the  morning,  and 
shut  Him  out  in  the  evening,  while  we  are  going  to  a  ball  or  a  play  ? 
»  Isaiah  ii.  22.  2  2  Cor.  vi.  16. 


126  MEMOIR    OF    MAKY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

for  we  may  be  well  assured,  He  will  not  go  with  us  there.  The 
spirit  of  the  world,  wliich  reigns  in  such  places,  is  quite  opposite  to 
His  Spirit ;  and  "  the  friendship  of  the  world,"  which  is  t  here  sought, 
"  is  enmity  with  God."'  I  know  this  would  be  called  uncharitable  ; 
but  I  do  not  wish  to  be  more  charitable  than  the  Bible.  And  surely 
experience  proves  it  to  be  true  ;  for,  go  into  any  fashionable  assembly 
whatever,  and  there  begin  to  speak  of  those  things  of  which  vi'e 
ought  to  talk,  "  when  we  are  sitting  in  the  house,  and  when  we 
walk  by  the  way,  and  when  we  lie  down,  and  when  we  rise  up  ;"* 
and  see  if  politeness  itself  can  suppress  a, smile  at  your  strange  and 
unwarrantable  impertinence,  in  forcing  the  attention  of  the  company 
to  subjects,  which  they  are  met  for  the  very  purpose  of  forgetting. 
No,  my  dear  friend,  that  cannot  be  a  proper  place  for  a  Christian, 
where  religion  is  the  thing  that  must  not  be  named  ;  and  where 
even  something  in  our  hearts  will  tell  us,  that  such  subjects  are  out 
of  place.  Neither  can  you  say — your  own  heart  may  be  as  well 
employed  there  as  elsewhere  ;  for  the  most  delightful  meditation  on 
heavenly  things  (if  we  could  thus  meditate  in  the  midst  of  vanity) 
would  be  spoiled  by  the  thought,  that  there  were  none  who  enjoyed 
like  communion  with  ourselves:  we  should  soon  have  to  "seek, 
with  Joseph,  a  place  to  weep  in,'"Ho  weep  over  our  companions  and 
friends,  who  are  thus  "feeding  on  ashes,"  delighting  themselves  in 
things  which  cannot  profit.  The  fact  is,  when  Christians  are  at  a 
place  of  worldly  amusement  (if  Christians  are  to  be  found,  who  will 
venture  themselves  so  unguardedly  into  Satan's  strong  places,)  they 
must  either  have  heavenly  thoughts,  (and  then  the  amusement 
would  appear  so  vapid,  disgusting,  and  uninteresting,  that  they 
would  never  be  able  to  slay  it  out ;)  or  else,  if  the  amusement  is  an 
amusement  to  them,  it  fills  their  hearts  with  a  crowd  of  vain 
thoughts,  shuts  out  Christ,  and  lets  in  self  and  the  world,  and  so 
prepares  room  for  doubts,  and  fears,  and  nmch  bitter  repentance, 
before  the  Spirit  will  again  shine  upon  a  heart,  which  has  so  wan- 
tonly despised  His  grace.  But  many  will  say—'  All  this  may  take 
place  if  we  stay  at  home ;  our  worldly  hearts  may  let  in  many 
intruders  there  ;  and  we  may  be  compelled  to  own,  that  we  should 
have  been  as  well  at  any  place  of  public  resort,  as  in  our  own  room, 
with  no  one  to  talk  to  but  our  own  heart.'  This,  I  confess,  is  our 
shame  and  misery— that  we  are  so  often  entangled  in  vain  and 
worldly  thoughts.  But  surely  it  does  but  make  the  argument 
strono-er  against  indulging  in  anything  which  tends  to  foment  such 
thoughts.  If  we  are  so  weak,  why  go  into  temptation,  against 
which  the  strongest  have  not  been  able  to  stand?  We  may  fall 
into  a  worldly  frame  of  mind  in  the  absence  of  any  worldly  pleas- 
ures •  but,  because  we  have  got  a  cruel  enemy  within,  shall  we  go 
and  expose  ourselves  to  the  attacks  of  the  enemy  from  without.^ 
Let  us  at  least  have  the  comfort  of  not  having  gone  in  quest  of  our 
misery.  Temptations  enough  will  come  to  us  ;  let  us  not  go  to 
them.     Besides,  it  seems  to  me  but  mocking  "  our  Father  which  is 

I  James  iv.  4.  «  r)eut.  vi.  7.  '  Genesis  xliii.  30. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  1^7 

in  heaven"^ — to  say,  one  liour — "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation"* — 
when  we  have  coolly  made  up  our  mind  to  rush  into  it  the  next. 
From  the  evil  of  such  a  temptation,  can  we  hope  that  he  will 
deliver  us  ?  Let  me  draw  your  attention  to  the  important  precept 
of  our  Lord — ^"Let  your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lights  burn- 
ing ;  and  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  that  wai(  for  their  Lord, 
when  he  will  return  from  the  wedding ;  that  when  he  cometh  and 

knocketh,  they  may  open  to  him  immediately  !"'^     Now,  dear , 

I  am  sure  you  would  not  choose,  that  your  Lord  should  come  for 
you,  while  engaged  in  worldly  amusements  ;  nor  would  you  feel, 
that  he  found  you  watching;  nor  would  you  be  ready  to  "open 
itnmediately ;"  but  would  rather  ask  time  to  collect  your  scattered 
thoughts,  and  trim  your  wasted  lamp.  If  we  were  to  ask  the 
blessed  in  heaven,  or  the  tormented  in  hell,  what  they  think  of  such 
employments,  would  not  the  one  smile  with  pity  at  the  question, 
and  the  other  exclaim  wilh  rage — 'Oh  that  I  had  but  one  of  those 
hours  you  are  thus  throwing  away  !  You  should  see  whether  I 
would  let  the  precious  moments  pass  in  such  vanities  as  these.' 
Forgive  me,  if  I  have  said  too  much.  Indeed  I  should  tremble  for 
you,  going  into  such  a  difficult  situation,  if  I  did  not  know,  that  God 
can  take  as  much  care  of  you  theie,  as  in  a  more  retired  place. 

'I  do  earnestly  desire,  that  the  blessing  of  a  single  eye  and  undi- 
vided heart  may  be  5'ours.  There  is  no  comfort  in  being  an  unde- 
cided Christian  ;  and  Christ  himself  has  declared  that  such  a  char- 
acter is  hateful  to  him.^  But  this  will  not  be  the  case  with  you  : 
He  who  has  helped  you  thus  far,  will  go  on  leading  you  by  the 
hand,  till  He  has  brought  you  to  glory.  You  ask  me,  'How  are 
we  to  wean  our  hearts  from  the  world]'  I  know  no  other  answer 
but  that  which  the  Scripture  gives.''  A  believing  view  of  Jesus 
must  make  the  world  look  dark  and  insignificant :  and  whenever 
we  begin  to  love  it  too  much,  we  have  only  to  apply  to  Him,  who 
has  said  to  us,  "  Be  of  good  cheer  ;  I  have  overcome  the  world  ;"5 
and  His  mighty  power  shall  be  put  forth  to  enable  us  to  overcome 
it  also.  I  used  to  make  many  resolutions  against  a  worldy  spirit, 
and  try  many  ways  to  break  myself  to  it ;  and  these  resolutions 
were  repeatedly  broken  ;  but  now  I  have  but  one  w^ay  ;  I  try  to 
take  my  heart  to  Jesus,  believing  that  the  victory  is  already  mine 
for  His  sake.  'Lord,  thou  hast  promised,  that  "sin  shall  not  have 
dominion  over  me."^  Thou  hast  said,  that  every  one  that  is  "  born 
of  thee  overcometh  the  Vorld."  Fulfil  thy  gracious  promise,  and 
make  me  "  more  than  conqueror"  in  thy  might!  Thou  hast  "  given 
thyself  for  my  sins,  that  thou  mightcst  deliver  me  from  this  present 
world  f  and  wilt  thou  now  leave  me  to  be  taken  captive  by  this 

evil  world  V     O  dear ,  the  faithful  God  must  become  like  unto 

lying,  promise-breaking  man,  before  He  can  refuse  to  help  his  ser- 
vants, who  thus  cast  themselves  on  His  word  of  promise  ;  and  dis- 
claim all  wisdom,  strength,  and  goodness  but  His.     The  world  and 

1  Matthew  vi.  13.        2  Luke  xii.  33—37.       3  Rev.  iii.  15, 16.     <  1  John  iv.  4;  v.  4,  5. 
5  John  xvi.  33,  «  Romans  vi.  14.  ^  Galatians  i.  4. 


128  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

the  things  of  the  world,  as  "  a  strong  man  armed,  who  keepeth  his 
o-oods  in  peace,"  must  continue  to  have  possession  of  our  liearts,  till 
Christ,  who  is  "  stronger  than"  the  world,  breaks  in,  and  claims  the 
house  of  the  strong  man,  as  a  mansion  for  His  Spirit  to  dwell 
in.'  Cast  yourself,  then,  without  fear  upon  the  free  mercy  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus.  The  more  worldly  and  wicked  you  feel  yourself 
to  be,  the  more  He  is  concerned  to  show  His  power  and  faithfulness 
in  jjaving  you  from  your  worldliness  and  wickedness.' 

The  next  letter  upon  the  same  subject  was  written  shortly  af- 
terwards, to  another  correspondent,  whom  she  regarded  with  the 
most  lively  affection,  as  having  been  made  instrumental  in  commu- 
nicating to  her  soul  the  knowledge  and  love  of  her  Saviour. 

'  March  22,  1827. 
'You  must,  I  think,  have  misunderstood  my  meaning   about 
worldly  company  and  amusements.     Let  us  but  have  a  right  mo- 
tive for  doing  so  ;  and  I  think  we  may  safely  go  into  any  company 
whatever.     The  word  of  God  affords  us  two  valuable  rules  for  all 
our  actions,  and  if  we  could  set  them  always  before  our  eyes,  I  be- 
lieve we  should  seldom  be  at  a  loss  as  to  the  conduct  we  ought  to 
pursue :  "  Whether,  therefore,  ye  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do, 
do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.     And — whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or 
deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.,  giving  thanks  to  God 
and  the  Father  by  Him."-     Let  us  then  always  ask  ourselves,  be- 
fore we  set  about'any  study,  or  employment,  or  enter  into  any  com- 
pany— '  Am  I  doing  this  "  to  the  glory  of  God  ?"     Is  it  my  sole,  or 
at  least  my  principal  motive?     Can   I   "do  it  in  the   nan)e  of 
the  Lord   Jesus  ?"     Can  I    boldly   say — it   is  such    an  action  as 
he  would  approve  of?     And  can  I  look  up  to  Him  all  the  time  I 
am  doing  it,  for  his  sanction  and  blessing?'     If  you  can  answer 
this  question  satisfactorily,   the  action,  whatever  it  be,  must  be 
right ;  and  there  can  be  no  danger  attending  the  performance  of 
it.     If,  on  the  contrary,  your  mind  recoils  from  even  asking  such  a 
question,  be  assured  that  tiiere  is  something  wrong  in  it,  and  that 
you  would  do  well  to  give  it  up.     It  is  a  hard  lesson  to  our  carnal 
hearts,  but  one  which  the  love  of  Jesus  can  make  easy  to  us  ;  that 
from  the  moment  we  take  refuge  at  the  cross  of  Jesus,  and  are 
"  washed  from  our  sins  in  his  blood" — from  that  happy  moment 
we  are  "  no  longer  our  own,"  and  must  make  it  our  one  business  to 
"glorify  God  in   our  body  and  spirit,   which   are    God's."^     This 
seems  to  me  the  great  and  marked  distinction  between  the  Chris- 
tian and  the  worlding.     The  one  lives  to  himself;  the  other  "to 
Him  who  died  for  him  and  rose  again."^    The  one  consults  his  own 
pleasure,  ease,  and  safety.  "  leans  to  his  own  understandino","  and 
seeks  his  own  glory.     The  other  prays,  that  his  will  may  be  quite 
swallowed  up  in  tiie  will  of  Jesus  ;   "ceases  from  his  own  wisdom," 
and  makes  "  Christ  his   wisdom."      He   no  longer  "  receives  the 

I  Luke  xi.  21,  2-2.  ^  1  Cor.  x.  31.     Colossians  iii.  17. 

3  I  Cor.  vi.  19,  20.  *  2  Cor.  v.  14,  15. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  129 

honor  which  cometh  of  men  ;"  but  desires  that  Christ,  the  Author 
of  all  his  good  things,  may  liave  all  the  glory  of  them.  His  fleshly 
nature,  or — as  St.  Paul  calls  it,  the  old  man,  strives  hard  against 
this,  and  would  lead  him  to  please  and  honor  himself  again  ;  and 
this  is  the  great  conflict  between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  which 
makes  the  Christian  life  so  truly  called  a  warfare.  This  conflict 
has  already  begun  in  you,  my  dearest  friend,  and  will  never  cease 
till  death  takes  you  from  sense  and  self,  to  where  you  shall  see 
Jesus  as  he  is,  and  wonder  that  you  could  ever  prefer  anything  to 
Him.  No  wonder  you  find  it  a  hard  and  strange  conflict.  Parting 
with  self-seeking,  self-honoring,  and  self-righteousness,  is  far  more 
painful  tlian  cutting  off  a  right  hand,  or  plucking  out  a  right  eye. 
"  With  man,  indeed,  this  is  impossible  ;  but  with"  Jesus  "  all  things 
are  possible."  Taking  this  consideration  with  us,  then,  that  Christ 
— not  self — is  to  be  the  end  of  all  our  actions,  and  that  "  whether 
we  eat  or  drink,"  or  speak,  go  in  or  out,  or  are  alone  or  in  company, 
engaged  in  study  or  recreation,  we  must  "  do  all  to  the  glory  of 
God,"  and  "in  the  name  of  the  liord  Jesus" — I  think  it  will  give  us 
a  very  different  view  of  our  duty  as  to  worldly  company  and  em- 
ployments, from  any  that  worldly  wisdom  or  policy  can  give  us. 

It  cannot  be,  however,  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  we  should  show 
ourselves  morose  and  unsociable.  The  friends  and  relations  w', 
have  are  His  gifts,  and  therefore  must  not  be  despised  or  neglected. 
Besides,  we  ought  to  bear  in  mind,  that  the  redeemed  of  Christ  are 
"the  salt  of  the  earth."  "a  peculiar  people,'*  created  anew  in  Christ 
Jesus  for  the  very  purpose  of  "  showing  forth  his  praises :"'  and  how 
can  we  do  this,  if  we  shut  ourselves  out  altogether  from  the  world? 
It  is  false  humility,  which  makes  us  say,  *  I  can  never  do  any  good' 
— for  the  meaner  the  instrument,  the  more  is  the  glory  of  God  dis- 
played in  doing  good  with  it ;  and  as  it  is  all  God's  doing  and  not 
ours,  we  have  no  reason  to  be  proud  of  it,  but  rather  to  be  abased  at 
the  sight  of  our  own  unfitness.  I  own  to  you,  that  I  consider  it  the 
greatest  blessing  to  a  worldly  family  to  have  even  one  Christian 
among  them  (though  I  know  they  think  it  a  sad  interruption) :  for 
who  can  tell,  but  God  may  hear  the  prayers  and  tears  of  that  one, 
and  make  him  or  her  the  messenger  of  peace  to  the  rest?  Thus 
far,  then,  I  think  it  must  be  right  to  go  into  worldly  company,  in 
the  discharge  of  relative  duties  not  plainly  inconsistent  with  the 
word  of  God ;  or  to  avail  ourse)  .^s  of  any  providential  opportuni- 
ties of  Christian  usefulness.  Let  us,  however,  be  careful,  that  our 
own  spiritual  state  is  not  affected  by  it ;  for  we  can  never  be  re- 
quired to  enter  into  any  things  to  the  hurt  of  our  own  souls.  But 
on  the  other  hand,  my  dear  friend,  I  think,  if  we  really  love  Christ, 
this  occasional  mixing  with  worldly  company  will  be  rather  a  sacri- 
fice than  a  pleasure  to  us.  For  think  what  it  is  to  go  amongst 
worldly  people  "  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  and  "  to  the  glory 
of  our  God."  Even  if  we  do  not  feel  ourselves  called  on  to  speak 
to  them  directly  on  the  subject ;  still  if  we  keep  this  aim  in  view 
»  Matt.  V.  13.  Eph.  ii.  10.  1  Peter  ii.  9. 
9 


130  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

in  how  many  little  things  must  we  show  that  our  sentiments  are 
opposite  to  theirs  !  And  if  they  know  that  we  profess  religion,  we 
may  be  ahiiost  sure  that  they  view  us  with  secret  clisUlve  and  con- 
tempt ;  for  "  the  carnal  heart  is"  and  always  will  be  "  enmity 
against  God"  and  his  people.  I  have  seldom  been  into  worldly  com- 
pany, without  feeling  either  very  uncomfortable  all  the  time  I  was 
in  it,  or  very  unhappy  as  soon  as  I  came  out  of  it ;  for  if  God  en- 
abled me  to  keep  his  glory  in  view,  the  sight  of  so  many  souls 
perishing  in  a  vain  confidence  of  their  own  safety  ;  the  sense  of  my 
inability  to  speak  properly  to  them  ;  the  consciousness  that  in  many 
cases  at  least  they  would  gladly  have  dispensed  with  my  company, 
all  these  things  could  not  but  make  me  uncomfortable — not  un- 
happy ;  because,  supposing  that  I  loas  in  the  clear  path  of  duty 
— in  the  midst  of  vain  company  and  sad  reflections,  I  could  still 
hold  communion  with  Jesus.     But  when  I  lost  sight  of  this  great 

end,  O  dear ,  I  wish  I  could  point  to  you  the  anguish  I  have 

endured,  that  you  might  avoid  dishonoring  your  Saviour  as  I  have 
done  !  Very,  very  often  this  has  been  my  wretched  case  : — '  What 
will  people  think  of  me,  if  I  set  up  to  be  so  much  better  than  others  T 
This  ensnaring  question  has  often  made  me  put  on  a  levity  of  senti- 
ment and  manner,  which  I  did  not  at  first  feel,  but  which,  persisted 
in,  has  become  real ;  and  I  have  been  in  heart  as  well  as  in  appear- 
ance, the  worldliest  of  the  worldly.  And  even  when  I  have  re- 
turned home,  God  has  often  seen  fit  to  visit  this  sin,  by  leaving  me 
still  to  backslide  in  heart,  and  to  be  "  filled  with  my  own  ways  ;"» 
and  when  I  have  come  to  myself,  (for  he  has  never  quite  left  me, 
nor  ever  will)  how  can  I  describe  the  bitterness  of  thinking,  that  I 
had  done  dishonor  to  the  cause  of  my  Only  Friend,  lost  the  heav- 
enly sense  of  His  redeeming  love,  missed  many  opportunities  of 
saying  a  word  which  he  might  have  blessed,  and  by  my  light  and 
foolish  conduct  given  occasion  to  the  world  to  think,  that  religion 
was  a  thing  in  word  only,  not  in  power ! 

'  I  have  told  you  my  experience  ;  but  1  believe  it  is  more  or  less 
what  every  Christian  feels  ;  only  few  have  been  so  very  guilty  in 
this  respect  as  I  have.  Even  now,  though  I  know,  that  all  these 
sins  are  washed  away  in  my  Redeemer's  blood,  I  cannot  reflect 
without  the  deepest  self-abhorrence  on  the  vain  and  foolish  conduct 

1  often  indulged  in  at ,  particularly  the  sin  of  evil  speaking, 

which  I  gave  way  to  there  more  than  anywhere.  I  might  add, 
that  of  sabbath-breaking.  Do  not  think  that  I  mean  to  lay  it  to 
their  charge  ;  oh  !  no  ;  I  only  mean,  that  by  going  into  the  so- 
ciety of  worldly  people,  if  I  may  so  say,  without  my  armor  on,  I 
became  as  vain  as  they,  and  much  more  sinful ;  because  I  sinned 
against  light  and  grace.  Surely,  then,  if  we  consider  these  draw- 
backs, worldly  people  will  not  be  our  chosen  companions ;  and 
we  shall  go  among  them,  when  we  do,  as  a  duty  rather  than  a 
pleasure. 

'  With  regard  to  the  theatre,  and  amusements  of  this  kind,  Chris- 
1  Prov.  xiv.  14. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  131 

tians  must  have  little  to  do,  if  they  can  find  time  for  them.  But  if 
they  could  find  time,  I  confess  I  am  at  a  loss  to  see  what  pleasure 
they  can  find  there.  Are  not  the  sentiments  usually  uttered  in 
such  places  quite  in  opposition  to  the  precepts  of  God's  word  ?  Are 
not  pride,  vain-glory,  self-destruction,  hatred,  dissipation,  unlawful 
attachments,  held  up  to  our  admiration  in  many  theatrical  compo- 
sitions, considered  as  trivial  fiuilts  in  most  of  them,  and  detested 
upon  right  principles  in  none?  You  profess,  as  a  Christian,  to 
make  Jesus  your  happiness.  What  can  you  find  here  to  bring  you 
into  communion  with  him  1  You  profess  to  make  his  glory  your 
aim  ?  Can  you  then  sit  with  complacency,  and  hear  a  company 
of  your  fellow-creatures  with  immortal  souls,  uttering  sentiments 
which  only  tend  to  make  them  despise  Christ  and  his  ways  ?     But 

I  will  leave  the  subject,  dear ,  only  adding,  that  I  do  not  wish 

you  to  give  up  this  amusement  from  what  I  say,  but  from  the  set- 
tled conviction  of  your  own  mind,  after  prayer  for  Divine  teaching. 
If  then  you  find,  that  you  can  neither  "do  it  to  the  glory  of  God, 
or  in  the  name  of  Jesus,"  I  will  not  try  to  dissuade  you  from  it.  I 
was  once  induced  to  attend  'Matthews  at  Home,'  and  shall  never 
forget  the  sensation  I  felt,  when  he  told  us  how  his  father,  who  was 
a  good  kind  of  man,  but  too  religious,  had  tried  to  keep  him  from 
coming  on  the  stage.  When  I  looked  round,  and  saw  the  merri- 
ment expressed  in  every  face,  I  could  not  help  saying-  to  myself— 
'  This  is  no  place  for  me  ;  there  are  no  lovers  of  Christ  here  ;  for 
'•charity  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,"^  as  these  poor  deluded  people 
are  doing.' 

'And  now,  my  dearest  friend,  I  have  proposed  many  privations 
to  you  ;  and  what  have  I  to  offer  you  in  return  ?  Nothing  but  the 
love  of  Jesus  ;  nay,  this  is  yours  already  ;  for  if  you  are  enabled  to 
give  these  things  up,  it  will  be — not  that  he  may  love  you,  but  be- 
cause he  has  loved  you.  The  blessed  spirits  above  want  nothing 
else  to  make  them  happy  ,  and  we  soon  hope  to  taste  their  happi- 
ness ;  but  if  it  cannot  make  us  happy  here,  then  heaven  itself 
would  not  make  us  happy.  Oh  let  us  pray  for  this  love  !  Let  us 
cast  off  the  spirit  of  bondage,  and  not  come  to  God,  as  slaves,  icho 
must  serve  him  ;  but  as  his  redeemed  children,  who  love  to  serve 
him,  and  who  find  his  "  service  perfect  freedom."  Let  us  pray  that 
more  of  "  the  love  of  God  may  be  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts."  Let 
us  beseech  the  Holy  Ghost  to  "  take  of  the  things  of  Jesus,  and 
show  them  to  us."  Let  us  study  all  the  sweet  relations  in  which 
he  has  revealed  himself  to  us  in  the  Scriptures — Father,  brother, 
friend,  husband,  lover.  Here  is  a  perpetual  and  rational  study  for 
us  ;  and  the  more  we  follow  it,  the  sweeter  we  shall  find  it.  It  is 
but  a  little  ray  of  this  love  that  as  yet  has  warmed  my  heart ;  yet 
I  can  tell  you,  dearest  and  most  beloved  friend,  that  it  is  worth  re- 
nouncing ten  thousand  worlds  for.  The  Lord  Jesus  has  sometimes 
drawn  near  to  me  with  such  unspeakable  sweetness,  that  I  have 
thought  all  the  lovely  relations  of  life,— father,  husband,  friend, — 

'  1  Corinthians  xiii.  6. 


ISS  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

had  no  beauty  in  them,  except  as  they  served  to  shadow  forth  the 
immense  love  of  our  reconciled  God  in  Him,  and  the  near  and  in- 
timate communion,  to  which  he  admits  his  chosen  and  redeemed 
people.  O  my  friend,  he  has  chosen  you  !  What  a  wonder  of  love 
is  here  !  He  has  redeemed  you,  at  the  price  of  his  own  precious 
blood,  "from  this  evil  world.'"  Will  you  linger  in  it  any  longer? 
God  forbid  !  May  the  Spirit  of  God  "  fill  you  with  such  peace  and 
joy  in  believing,"  as  may  make  the  world  and  the  things  of  it  ap- 
pear to  you  in  their  true  light !  Remember,  this  is  not  your  home. 
"  We  are  strangers  and  pilgrims"  here.  Let  not  the  world  see,  that 
the  joys  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  communion  with  him,  are  not 
enough  to  occupy  us,  without  having  recourse  to  the  many  vain 
and  trifling  ways  they  have  invented  of  kiUing  time,  and  driving 
eternity  out  of  their  thoughts.  If  we  want  strength,  there  is  ful- 
ness of  strength  and  grace  treasured  up  for  us  in  Jesus :  and  we 
have  only  to  seek  it  by  earnest  prayer.  I  wish  you  would  pray  for 
more  experience  of  his  love  to  you.  This  would  convince  you,  more 
than  all  tlie  arguments  in  the  world,  of  the  vanity  of  everything, 
which  can  tend  to  divert  your  mind  from  him.  In  seeking  his  love 
you  may  be  able  to  say  with  Jacob — "  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except 
thou  bless  me !"- — I  shall  look  for  your  next  very  anxiously.  Do 
not  let  these  words,  'affected,'  'precise,'  'hypocrite,'  'enthusiast,' 
'  fool,'  '  madman,'  and  many  other  epithets,  which  perhaps  you  will 
hear  lavished  upon  the  followers  of  the  Lamb,  discourage  you  from 
making  his  cause  and  people  your  own.  I  cannot  but  remind  you 
— that  "  all  who  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  must  suffer  persecu- 
tion."^ Not  perhaps  open  persecution  now,  but  ridicule,  dislike, 
sneering,  either  open  or  secret,  must  be  your  lot,  if  you  determine 
to  "  be  not  conformed  to  this  world."  We  must  not  think  it  hard, 
or  be  angry  or  disheartened,  if  these  things  come  upon  us  ;  for  our 
Master  was  a  scorn  and  a  derision  to  all  around  him.' 

'  Do  not  cease  to  love  me,  and  think  of  me  always,  dearest , 

as  yours  most  affectionately  and  entirely  attached.' 

P.  S.  'I  earnestly  join  in  your  wish,  that  this  may  be  the  com- 
mencement of  a  new  and  blessed  period  of  your  life.  May  every 
future  year  see  us  walking  more  closely  and  more  humbly  with 
God.' 

In  a  third  letter  to  her  cousin,  about  a  month  subsequent,  she 
again  reverts  to  her  Scriptural  Rules. 

'  April,  20,  1827. 
'  I  feel  exceedingly  at  a  loss,  my  dear  friend,  how  to  answer 
your  interesting  question — '  What  is  the  meaning  of  giving  up  the 
world?'  For  I  do  not  consider,  that  giving  up  the  world  consists  in 
renouncing  its  amusements,  its  company,  its  pursuits,  so  much  as 
in  putting  off'ils  teniper  and  spirit,  that  we  may  put  on  the  spirit 

»  Galatians  i.  4.  ^  Genesis  xxxii.  2G-  3  2  Timothy  iii.  12. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  133 

and  temper  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus.  When  the  spirit  of  the  world 
is  thus  exchanged  for  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  the  amusements  and 
gayeties  of  the  world  must  (not  perhaps  all  at  once,  but  gradually 
and  surely)  come  to  be  extremely  vain  and  unsatisfying  in  our 
opinion.  For  though  the  word  "communion  with  God"  is  con- 
sidered as  the  mere  creation  of  an  enthusiastic  imagination,  yet  if 
we  will  allow  the  Scriptures  to  be  true,  we  must  allow  that  there  is 
such  a  tiling  as  "  holding  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  the  Son," 
as  "  walking  with  God"  day  by  day  "  in  perfect  peace,"  as  "  having 
Christ  living  in  us,"  and  "his  Holy  Spirit  abiding  in  us;'"  for  by 
this,  and  by  this  only  can  we  know  that  we  are  in  Christ,  even  by 
his  Spirit  which  abideth  in  us.  Now  let  us  suppose  a  person  enjoy- 
ing— not  the  flights  of  a  false  and  self-seeking  devotion — but  real, 
sober,  scriptural  converse  with  God,  and  that  daily  ;  must  not  this 
be  a  happiness  superior  to  any  the  world  can  give?  See  what 
David  thought  of  it — "As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water-brooks, 
so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God.  My  soul  thirsteth  for  God, 
for  the  living  God  :  Thou,  O  Lord  God,  art  the  thing  that  I  long 
for.  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  I  desire  beside  thee.  My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing  that 
it  hath  unto  thy  judgments  at  all  times.  In  God  is  my  salvation 
and  my  glory ;  the  rock  of  my  strength,  and  my  refuge  is  in  God. 
My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as  with  marrow  and  fatness,  and  my 
mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joyful  lips,  when  I  remember  thee."'^ 
&c.  &c.  And  so  in  a  thousand  songs  of  love  has  David  left  on 
record  what  he  thought  of  "  comnrunion  with  God."  What  must 
have  been  Job's  view  of  the  subject,  when  he  said — "  My  friends 
scorn  me,  but  mine  eye  poureth  out  tears  unto  God.  O  that  I  knew 
where  I  might  find  him  !  that  I  might  come  even  to  his  seat !  I 
would  order  my  cause  before  Him,  and  fill  my  mouth  with  argu- 
ments !"^ — Isaiah's — when  he  said,  "  O  Lord,  the  desire  of  our  soul 
is  unto  thy  name,  and  to  the  remembrance  of  thee  !  With  my  soul 
have  I  desired  thee  in  the  night ;  yea,  with  my  spirit  wdthin  me 
will  I  seek  thee  early  !"^  But  I  need  not  multiply  proofs  of  what 
seems  to  need  no  proofs — that  communion  with  his  Creator  is  the 
best,  and  noblest,  and  happiest  thing  of  which  a  creature  is  ca- 
pable. Then  will  not  they  w^ho  enjoy  this  communion,  very  care- 
fully avoid  whatever  may  tend  to  rob  them  of  it  ?  They  will  soon 
find  that  converse  with  the  world  [tinless  as  far  as  duty  or  neces- 
sity lead  them  into  it)  is  not  compatible  with  converse  with  God  : 
for  if  they  conform  to  this  world's  habits  and  opinions,  they  deprive 
themselves  of  all  scriptural  claim  to  hope  that  God  dwells  in  them, 
and  they  'in  Him.  But  if  on  the  contrary,  they  are  "  transformed 
in  the  spirit  of  their  minds,"  they  will  soon  find  that  the  world  will 
dislike  or  ridicule  them.  But  until  we  are  delivered  from  the  spirit 
of  the  world,  I  cannot  see  how  we  can  reasonably  be  expected  to 

1  1  John  i.  3.     Gen.  v.  21.     Isaiah  xxvi.  3.      Gal.  ii.  20.     1  John  ii.  24. 

2  Psalm  xlii.  1,2;  Ixxi.  4.  P.  T  ;  Ixxiii.  25;  cxix.  20;  Isii.  7;  Ixiii.  5,  6. 

3  Job  xvi.  20;  xxiii.  3,  4.  '-  Isaiah  xxvi.  8,  9. 


j[34  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

see  any  harm  whatever  in  the  customs  of  the  world.    Let  the  world 
that  dwells  and  rules  within  be  deposed,  and  the  world  without  will 

soon  lose  its  undue  influence  over  us.     But  dearest ,  let  us 

"stick  to'"  the  Scriptures  as  our  rule  and  standard  in  everything, 
(thus  our  doubts  upon  every  subject  will  be  quickly  satisfied) ;  and 
let  as  study  them  with  prayer,  that  he,  "  who  commanded  the  light 
to  shine  out  of  darkness,  would  shine  into  our  dark  hearts,  to  give 
them  the  knowledge  of  the  glory"  of  the  Gospel  of  God.  We  shall 
not  ask  in  vain ;  for  "  God  giveth  wisdom  liberally,  and  without 
upbraiding."  May  he  give  you  that  "  wisdom  which  is  from 
above  ;"  since  not  all  the  wisdom  of  this  world  can  find  out  God. 
There  are  in  the  sacred  word  two  rules,  which,  if  kept  in  view, 
might  be  a  lamp  to  guide  our  feet  in  the  darkest  and  most  perplex- 
ing moments—"  Whether  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  ivhatsoever  ye  do,  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God.^'  "  Whatsoever  ye  do,  in  ivord  or  deed, 
do  all  ill  the  name  of  the  Lord  JesusJ^'^  Now  in  going  to  a  ball, 
or  a  play,  merely  to  indulge  my  own  vanity,  or  gratify  my  own 
inclination,  I  could  not  say^I  am  "doing  this  to  the  glory  of  God," 
I  could  not  set  about  it  "  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus;"  there- 
fore as  a  Christian,  I  think  I  have  no  right  to  do  it  at  all.  But  if 
any  one  could  go  "  to  the  glory  of  God,"  I  cannot  dispute  their 
right  of  going.  In  visiting  my  friends  and  spending  a  little  inter- 
course in  social  converse  with  them,  I  have  no  feeling  of  this  kind 
to  draw  me  back,  for  God  has  given  us  our  friends,  and  therefore 
requires  us  to  be  active  in  every  social  duty  ;  and  religion  has  done 
little  for  us,  if  it  has  taught  us  to  be  morose  and  unsociable ;  for 
the  very  soul  of  religion  is  to  live  not  to  ourselves,  but  to  others. 
Still  I  think  that,  as  far  as  we  can,  we  should  choose  our  friends 
rather  among  the  friends  of  God,  than  among  the  friends  and  fol- 
lowers of  the  world.  You  mention  music; — so  far  from  thinking 
it  wrong  in  all  cases,  I  think  in  my  own,  it  is  absolutely  a  relig- 
ious duty  to  pursue  music,  as  far  as  my  health  will  permit;  and 
I  think  the  same  with  regard  to  you.  But  supposing  we  had  no 
particular  object  in  studying  it,  still  I  think  that  music,  as  afford- 
ing a  pleasing  and  innocent  source  of  amusement  to  ourselves  and 
others,  cannot  be  considered  wrong,  though  I  should  think  it  wrong 
to  give  more  than  a  very  moderate  time  to  it,  or  to  let  it  encroach 
upon  any  other  duty.  For  a  real  Christian — to  say  the  least  of  it 
— has  so  great  a  work  in  hand  ;  so  many  really  important  and  in- 
teresting objects  daily  solicit  his  attention,  excite  his  energies,  and 
set  every  faculty  of  soul  and  body  to  work ;  that  he  or  she  can 
have  very  little  time  to  throw  away  upon  mere  amusements.  I 
have  given  you  my  opinion  as  well  as  I  can,  because  you  asked 
me,  not  because  I  wish  or  expect  you  to  be  guided  by  it:  for  I  am 
persuaded,  that  if  you  continue  searching  the  Bible  with  earnest 
prayer,  God  himself  will  lead  you  into  every  good  and  pleasant 
way.     I  have  known  many  religious  people,  who  have  not  seen 

^  See  Psalm  cxix.  31.  "-  1  Cor.  x.  ?,\.     Col.  iii.  17. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  135 

the  necessity  of  separating  themselves  entirely  from  the  world  at 
first ;  but  I  never  knew  any  one  who  did  not  see  it  at  last.  Let 
me  then  close  this  subject,  dearest ,  by  calling  to  your  remem- 
brance that  encouraging  invitation  in  Corinthians  :  '•  Wherefore 
come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing;  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  will 
be  a  Father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters, 
saith  the  Lord  Almighty."" 

These  letters  will,  we  think,  be  admitted  to  discuss  this  important 
subject  with  much  Christian  wisdom  and  spirituality.  Here  are  no 
harsh  or  sweeping  denunciations,  but  a  plain  reference  to  the  rules 
of  Christ ;  to  the  general  principles,  taste,  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel ; 
and  to  the  test  of  conscience  and  experience.  Two  particulars  are 
worthy  of  special  remarks — her  principle,  and  her  rules. 

Her  principle  is  the  superior  attractiveness  of  the  Gospel,  as  the 
only  effectual  opposition  to  a  worldly  spirit — '  A  believing  view  of 
Christ' — as  she  justly  observed — '  must  make  the  world  look  dark 
and  insignificant.''^  The  merchantman  would  never  have  suffered 
his  "  goodly  pearls"  to  be  snatched  from  him  ;  but  the  first  sight  of 
"the  pearl  of  great  price"  was  sufficient  inducement  to  him  gladly 
to  relinquish  them.^  The  apostle  would  never  have  yielded  up  his 
good  name  in  the  church  with  all  his  other  sources  of  gain  to  the 
persuasive  power  of  argument.  But  "the  excellency  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord"  once  manifested  to  his  soui,  made 
what  before  was  his  all,  now  "loss" — yea — "dung"  in  his  sight.* 
Thus  in  every  case,  simple  faith  is  the  principle  of  Christian  decision. 

It  is  often  a  ground  of  self-delusive  complaint — "  If  we  were  less 
entangled  with  the  world,  we  should  reach  to  far  higher  attainments 
in  the  excellency  of  this  heavenly  knowledge."  This  is  doubtless 
a  truth.  Yet  the  converse  is  perhaps  the  most  accurate  and  impor- 
tant statement.  It  is  because  we  know  so  little  of  Christ  that  we 
are  so  much  entangled  rvith  the  world.  Here  we  have  the  radical 
principle  of  the  evil  laid  open.  General  and  superficial  views  of  our 
glorious  Saviour  oflTer  but  a  feeble  resistance  to  the  mighty,  subtle, 
and  incessant  operation  of  a  worldly  spirit.  Deep,  self-abasing,  and 
spiritual  apprehensions  of  the  Gospel  must  be  perseveringly  sought 
for,  and  maintained  in  constant  exercise  under  Divine  teaching  and 
grace.  To  the  heart  thus  attracted  to  Christ  by  the  active  contem- 
plation of  faith — the  world  in  its  most  alluring  forms  will  ever  be  a 
crucified  object,  an  object  of  shame  and  revulsion.^  And  if  this 
heavenly  contemplation  be  followed  out  in  all  his  relations  to  us  of 
infinite  tenderness  and  love,  how  will  it  cover  us  with  shame,  that 
a  moment  should  ever  have  been  found  for  any  other  object  of 
parammuit  desire,  affection,  and  interest !  We  must,  however, 
carry  this  powerful  principle  of  faith  into  all  the  particulars  of 
practical  application.  We  must  not  forget  the  supreme  authority 
of  the  scriptural  commands   for  nonconformity  to  the  world ;«  nor 

I  a  Cor.  vi.  17,  18.  2  Page  437.  3  Matt.  xiii.  45,  4G.  ^  Phil.  iii.  7,  8. 

J  Compare  1  John  v.  4, 5.  Gal.  vi.  14.      «  Such  as  Rom  xii.  3.  2  Cor.  vi.  17.   I  John  ii.  15. 


136  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

must  we  refrain  from  rebuking  whatever  appears  to  us  in  detail  to 
be  inconsistent  with  these  commands.  Bnt  except  our  remonstran- 
ces are  grounded  upon  the  full  and  clear  principles  of  the  Gospel,  we 
shall — instead  of  "laying  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  tree" — only- 
prune  the  branches  for  more  luxuriant  fruitfulness.  The  worldly- 
taste  may  be  restrained — but  not  subjugated  ;  and  the  heart,  if  it 
be  even  partially  drawn  from  the  world,  will  be  turned  to  self- 
righteousness,  not  to  Christ. 

As  to  Miss  Graham'' s  rules,  il  is  a  vain  attempt  to  fix  precise 
limits  to  every  particular  act.  Yet  the  scriptural  rules  which  she 
has  adduced,  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  every  difficulty  ;  and  if 
the  application  of  them  will  not  make  us  infallibly  right,  it  will  at 
least  preserve  us  from  being  materially  wrong.  The  force  of  relative 
obligation  as  an  ordinance  of  God,  is  in  clear  conformity  with  these 
rules,  and  as  such  is  strongly  inculcated  by  Miss  Graham  ;'  while 
at  the  same  time  it  is  always  connected  with  faithfulness  and  decision 
of  conduct,  and  never  made  an  excuse  for  overstepping  the  line  of 
demarcation.  The  point  of  worldly  conformity  commences,  and 
the  habit  of  it  is  strengthened,  in  the  neglect  of  Christian  simplicity 
of  profession.  Either  these  rules  are  not  spiritually  apprehended, 
or  they  are  not  conscientiously  regarded,  or  there  is  a  want  of 
intelligent  capacity  to  apply  them.  Many  young  inquirers,  of 
unformed  habits  and  unexercised  profession,  have  lost  their  slight 
impressions  of  religion  in  an  unguarded  association  with  the  world. 
And  how  many  more  establislied  professors  have,  by  unspiritual 
habits,  become  unconsciously  conformed  to  the  taste,  maxims,  or 
society  of  the  world,  even  while  they  have  "  escaped  its"  external 
"  pollutions."  We  would  earnestly  recommend  the  application  of 
these  rules  to  every  step  and  point  of  contact  with  the  world.  Let 
them  be  the  test  for  the  daily  -  trial  of  our  spirit."  Let  us  cultivate 
that  tender  susceptibility  of  conscience,  which  impressed  this  devoted 
child  of  God  with  poignant  sorrow  and  humiliation,  in  a  single  in- 
stance of  overstepping  the  boundary,  or  neglecting  the  rule  of  her 
known  duty.'^  We  are  persuaded  that  this  habit  of  mind  diligently 
cherished  would  issue  in  the  conviction,  that  the  points  of  necessary 
or  hopeful  intercourse  with  the  world,  are  not  so  frequent  as  were 
imagined  ;  that  the  rational  pleasure  of  its  society  ill  compensates 
for  the  painful  loss  that  is  felt  in  the  secret  retirement ;  that  posi- 
tive evil  belongs  to  unnecessary  communication  with  it :  and  that 
increasing  circumspection  is  needed  even  in  the  path  of  duty.  The 
responsibility  of  maintaining  our  profession  will  be  more  deeply  felt; 
and  a  path  of  retreat  sought  for,  where  that  profession  seems  to  be 
impracticable.  We  shall  walk  not  by  expediency,  but  by  scriptural 
rule.  Self-indulgence  will  yield  to  the  dictates  of  conscience,  and 
double-inindedness  to  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel.  "  The  eye  being 
thus  single,  the  whole  body  will  be  full  of  light."^  Religion  will 
assume  a  different  caste.     It  will  be  marked  by  a  holy  and  heavenly 

1  Sec  p.  129.  2  See  pp.  130.  3  Matt.  vi.  22. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  137 

stamp.  It  will  be — not  a  syston  of  restraints — but  a  religion  of 
privilege — the  strictness  of  its  rules  wholly  divested  of  moroseness, 
and  forming  an  effectual  safeguard  of  its  consistency  and  fruitful- 
ness.  Thus  God  will  be  seen  in  his  true  character,  as  "  having 
pleasure  in  the  prosperity  of  his  servant,"'  who  needs  not  to  be 
beholden  to  the  world  for  that  happiness,  which  it  promises  to  its 
votaries  in  substance,  but  gives  only  in  shadow  and  delusion. 

The  length  and  seriousness  of  this  important  discussion  may  be 
happily  relieved  by  a  sprightly  effort  of  Miss  Graham's  imagination 
bearing  immediately  upon  our  subject.  It  was  written  impromptu 
in  her  friend's  manuscript  book.  The  picture  was  probably  suggest- 
ed by  her  residence  on  the  sea-side. 

'  February,  1830. 
"  Thy  'people  shall  be  my  peopled  Ruth  i.  16.  I  have  some- 
times thought,  that  the  Christian,  who  willingly  casts  his  lot  among 
those  to  whom  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  is  foolishness,  and  sits  down 
in  the  world  as  if  he  were  of  the  world,  is  like  the  foolish  little  bird, 
that  should  build  its  nest  in  the  mast  of  some  tall'ship.  At  first  it 
seems  a  place  of  security  and  peace  ;  but  soon  the  vessel  looses  from 
its  anchor,  and  the  little  songster  is  borne  away  it  knows  not 
whither.  The  trees  and  flowery  hedges,  and  bright  sunny  meadows, 
are  fast  going  out  of  sight.  Fain  would  the  poor  bird  spread  its 
wings  and  regain  them  ;  but  how  can  it  leave  its  nestlings,  its 
treasures,  which  it  has  confided  to  that  strange  and  troubled  dwell- 
ing !  No,  no ;  its  all  is  launched  into  the  deep  ;  and  with  anxious, 
constant  care  it  must  hover  round  the  dear  nest,  and  seek  for  strange 
and  scanty  food  for  its  young.  And  at  first  the  vessel  may  glide 
smoothly  on,  while  the  wind  gently  plays  with  its  sails,  and  the  sun 
lights  them  up  to  a  snowy  whiteness,  and  the  gilded  waves  break 
in  sparkles  round  the  stately  prow.  Then  the  little  visitant  pours 
forth  its  sweet  song,  and  gladdens  the  sailor's  heart  by  the  fond  tale 
it  tells  him  of  happiness  and  home.  Yet  all  the  while  it  is  only 
lamenting  its  desolation,  and  pining  after  the  pleasant  haunts  in  the 
green  wood,  and  the  dear  companions,  by  whom  its  notes  were 
answered  from  bush  to  bush,  till  the  very  boughs  waved  in  joy  to 
their  merry  strains.  But  oh  !  poor  bird,  if  a  storm  arise,  how  wilt 
thou  flutter  round  thy  nestlings,  and  tremble,  lest  they  should  be 
swept  away  by  the  pitiless  waves,  or  chilled  into  death  by  the 
piercing  winds  !  Yes,  little  trembler,  thou  hast  placed  thyself  and 
thine  offspring  in  a  perilous  situation  ;  nor  is  it  thou  that  canst  save 
them,  but  thy  Father  and  ours,  without  whom  not  so  much  as  a 
sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground.  He  it  was  that  took  care  of  thee, 
when  thou  wast  safely  lodged  in  thine  own  leafy  branches  ;  and  he 
can  take  care  of  thee  now  ;  can  teach  the  rude  sailor  to  re3t>ect  thy 
helplessness,  and  hush  the  stormy  winds,  that  they  ruffle  not  a 
feather  of  thy  wing.     And  thus,  Christian,  if  thou  hast  wilfully 

•  Psalm  XXXV.  27. 


138  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

withdrawn  thyself  from  the  shadow  of  that  tree,  which  spreads  forth 
its  branches  for  all  the  fowls  of  heaven  to  dwell  in  ;  if  thou  hast 
made  thee  a  home  away  from  the  Lord's  people  ;  many  a  bitter  hour 
of  loneliness  and  desolation  shalt  thou  have,  while  thou  art  "  sing- 
ing the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land."  Thou  shalt  rue  thy  folly, 
and  be  humbled  for  it.  Yet  be  not  utterly  cast  down,  but  still  trust 
in  thy  God,  who  will  not  fail  to  rebuke  and  chasten,  but  will  never 
leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee.' 

IV. — HER    SENTIMENTS    UPON    MISCELLANEOUS    SUBJECTS. 

We  now  conclude  this  long  series  of  quotation,  with  some  extracts 
of  a  more  miscellaneous  character. 

It  is  delightful  to  observe  ail  her  views  of  science — extensive  and 
accurate  as  they  were — to  have  been  admitted  and  enjoyed  through 
a  heavenly  medium.  Whichever  way  she  looked  in  this  wide  ex- 
panse, her  eye  was  transfixed  in  the  contemplation  of  the  unsearcha- 
ble mysteries  of  redeeming  love.  We  may  instance  the  following 
sketch  of  Christian  Astronomy — extracted  from  her  manuscript. 
Speaking  of  the  withering  influence  of  Mathematics  upon  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  imagination — and  having  (as  we  have  already  seen^) 
suggested  the  study  of  classical  literature,  as  furnishing  some  anti- 
dote for  this  evil — she  further  adds  on  this  point  : 

'It  is  scarcely  possible  to  pursue  mathematics  to  any  extent, 
without  being  led  by  them  into  some  of  those  sciences,  of  which 
they  form  the  vestibule.  Astronomy — for  instance — presents  a  field 
for  the  largest  and  noblest  exercises  of  the  imagination.  The  stars — 
'  the  poetry  of  heaven'^ — afford  not  only  perpetual  employment  for 
the  reason,  but  unbounded  scope  to  the  fancy.  The  objects  of 
astronomical  study  display  a  sublimity  which  exalts  the  imagina- 
tion;  a  mystery  which  humbles  the  intellect;  a  wisdom  which 
enlarges  every  faculty  of  the  soul,  and  a  loveliness  which  soothes 
every  feeling  of  the  heart.  They  have,  like  their  Divine  Author — 
"heights,  depths,  and  breadths" — unfathomable — inscrutable.  Here 
we  may  soar,  as  upon  the  wings  of  angelic  intelligence.  Here  we 
may  expatiate,  till  our  minds  are  lost  in  infinity.  But  with  what 
unutterable  astonishment  does  the  Christian  astronomer  gaze  upon 
the  innumerable  host!  He  is  conscious  that  God  is  all  around  him. 
His  mind  is  possessed  by  one  idea — the  presence,  the  immense,  the 
all-pervading  presence  of  the  God  who  made  and  upholds  all  these. 
For  an  instant  he  forgets  his  own  littleness,  and  becomes  vast  as  the 
objects  of  his  contemplation  ;  for  there  are  moments  when  the 
human  soul  seems  to  expand  into  something  of  its  original  grandeur. 
But  the  humbling  consciousness  returns,  as  soon  as  his  full  heart 
will  give  him  leave  to  think,  and  he  shrinks  into  insignificance.  It 
is  nothing  to  be  the  least,  the  meanest  of  the  creatures  of  God.  But 
to  be  a  fallen  creature — this  bows  him  to  the  dust.     Sin  has  made 

I  PaaeSy. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  139 

him  an  outcast  from  the  beautiful  creation,  an  alien  from  the  creat- 
ing God.     A  holy  God  is  on  every  side  :  and  he  is  not  holy. 

'  But  yet  his  thrilling  awe  is  cheered  with  joy,  hope  and  love. 
"  The  day-star  arises  in  his  heart ;"'  and  now  every  other  star  has 
a  voice,  "  a  still  small  voice  ;"  and  tells  a  tale  of  love,  which  the 
angels  delight  to  hear— a  mystery,  "  which  the  angels  desire  to 
look  into.""^ 

'  He  who  made  us  is  •'  the  God  of  thy  salvation."  He  is  "  thy 
beloved  and  thy  Friend."  Thus  hath  the  God  who  made  the 
heavens,  who  ordained  the  moon  and  the  stars,  been  mindful  of 
man,  visited  him  in  his  low  estate,  and  "  crowned  him  with  glory 
and  honor."3  u  p,aise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon  ;  praise  him,  all  ye 
stars  of  Ught;  praise  him,  ye  heaven  of  heavens,  and  ye  waters 
that  be  above  the  heavens."* 

'  Christians  !  you  can  "  sing  praises  with  understanding."^  All 
ye  that  love  the  Lord,  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord.  "  Praise  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul."*^ 

While  this  sublime  science  has  been  perverted  (as  in  the  French 
school  of  philosophy)  for  man's  contemptuous  rejection  of  his  Maker, 
it  is  most  refreshing  to  observe  the  magnificent  illustrations,  by 
which  the  "  heavens,"  viewed  through  the  medium  of  Christian 
philosophy,  "  declare  the  glory  of  God."^  In  this  field  of  elevated  con- 
templation, the  eye  of  faith  "leads  us  up  from  nature,"  not  only  to 
"  nature's  God,"  but  to  the  Christian's  God— the  God  of  his  salva- 
tion. Here  we  discover  what  the  "  eye"  of  reason  "  has  not  seen, 
nor  hath  ear  heard,  nor  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,"'  un- 
taught by  God.  If— as  our  poet  of  the  Night  has  decided—'  an 
undevout  astronomer  is  mad,'  even  the  devout  meat  of  science  \s  not 
in  the  full  possession  of  his  faculties,  nor  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
clear  perception  of  the  objects  of  his  delighted  observation,  except 
he  has  been  instructed  in  the  highest  school  of  Divine  science,  and 
enabled  to  trace  in  the  Maker  of  the  starry  frame  his  God  and  Sav- 
iour—his faithful,  unchangeable,  Almighty  friend. 

We  pass  to  another  field  of  science,  of  more  general  interest. 
Miss  Graham's  Musical  Tract,  already  referred  to,Mvill,  it  is  be- 
lieved, be  found  to  give  an  accurate  sketch  of  the  principles  of  its 
own  department  of  the  science.  Its  style  is  buoyant  with  life, 
beauty,  and  power.  It  occasionally  mounts  almost  to  the  magni- 
ficent'prose  of  John  Milton  or  Jeremy  Taylor.  Take  the  following 
as  a  specimen. 

Speaking  to  her  young  pupil  of  the  importance  of  practising,  she 
sends  her  to  the  woods  and  groves  for  a  stimulating  example  of  in- 
dustry. 

'  I  can  tell  you,  that  the  little  musicians  of  the  grove  do  not  attain 
their  wild  and  delicate  modulations  without  practice.     When  I  lay 

1  2  Peter  i.  19.  2  1  Peter  i.  12.  3  Psalm  viii.  4,  5. 

*  Psalm  cxlviii.  3,  4.  5  ib.  xlvii.  7.  «  lb.  cm.  22 

7  Psalm  xix.  1.  ^  I  Cor.  ii.  9.  ^  See  page  41. 


140  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

in  bed  last  summer,  unable  to  speak  or  move  for  many  hours  in  the 
day,  the  songs  of  the  birds  furnished  me  with  an  inexhaustible 
source  of  amusing  observation.  1  could  not  but  feel  grateful  to  the 
melodious  little  creatures,  who  beguiled  me  of  half  my  pain,  and 
made  the  weary  hours  of  sickness  fly  away  upon  wings  as  light  as 
their  own.  As  if  led  by  an  instinctive  sympathy,  numbers  of 
blackbirds  and  thrushes  came  to  build  their  nests  round  our  garden  ; 
and  the  woodpigeons,  which  had  been  silent  the  year  before,  re- 
newed their  soft  notes  in  the  high  trees  by  the  parsonage-lawn. 
However,  they  were  shy,  and  I  thought  myself  fortunate,  if  once  or 
twice  in  the  day,  their  gentle  cooing  found  its  way  to  my  ear.  But 
there  was  one  thrush,  whose  notes  I  soon  learned  to  distinguish 
from  all  the  other  thrushes  ;  indeed  his  skill  seemed  to  exceed 
theirs,  as  much  as  Cordoba's'  exceeds  yours  or  mine.  Every 
morning  I  listened  for  his  voice,  which  was  sure  to  precede  the 
matins  of  all  the  other  birds.  In  the  day-time,  his  brilliant  tones 
were  mingled  and  almost  lost  in  the  general  melody  ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  sun  was  preparing  to  set.  when  the  blackbirds  had  either 
sung  thenvoelves  to  sleep,  or  were  flown  off  to  keep  up  their  festivi- 
ties elsewhere,  then  was  my  thrush's  practising  time.  He  was  kind 
enough  to  select  a  tree  not  far  from  my  window,  while  the  other 
thrushes  placed  themselves  at  a  respectful  distance,  and  edged  in  a 
note  here  and  there  as  they  could.  He  opened  the  rehearsal  with 
a  number  of  wild  trills  and  calls,  which  I  could  not  well  understand  ; 
only  they  were  very  sweet  and  cheering  to  me ;  and  he  would 
pause  between  each,  till  a  soft  response  was  heard  from  some  dis- 
tant bough.  But  when  he  had  fixed  upon  a  little  cadence  which 
pleased  hi.m,  it  became  a  more  serious  business.  Strange  to  say,  I 
could  always  tell  when  this  would  be  ;  for  what  pleased  me  particu- 
larly was  sure  to  please  him  ;  so  true  it  is  that  nature  has  given  the 
same  perception  of  melody  to  man  and  to  birds.  He  would  chant 
it  over  in  a  low  tone  two  or  three  times,  as  if  to  make  himself  sure 
of  it ;  then  he  carolled  it  out  with  triumphant  glee  ;  then  stopped 
short  on  a  sudden,  as  much  as  to  say  to  his  rivals — '  Which  of  you 
can  imitate  my  strains?'  Their  notes  sounded  most  sweet  at  va- 
rious distances  during  these  little  intervals ;  but  they  seemed  con- 
scious of  their  inferiority  to  my  favorite,  who  Avould  suddenly  break 
out  into  the  very  same  melody,  upon  which  he  had  doubtless  been 
musing  all  the  while,  enriching  it  by  some  little  note  or  trill,  the 
wildest  and  most  touching  that  ever  came  into  a  thrush's  heart.  I 
needed  neither  concert  nor  music-master,  while  I  could  listen  to  the 
untaught,  but  not  unpremeditated,  harmony  of  this  original  profes- 
sor :  nor  could  1  quarrel  with  the  sickness,  which  had  been  the 
means  of  developing  another  link  in  that  mysterious  chain,  which 
binds  me  to  the  rest  of  creation,  by  opening  my  ear  and  my  heart 
more  than  ever  to  the  language  of  universal  nature.  But  I  often 
wished  to  have  you  with  me,  that  you  might  hear  how  much  pains 

'  An  eminent  musical  professor  among  the  Spanish  Refugees,  to  whom  she  was  in- 
debted for  much  valuable  instruction. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  141 

the  birds  are  at  to  charm  us  with  their  warbhng-.  It  is  pretty  also 
to  hear  the  young-  birds  commence  their  small  and  faltering  strains, 
which  grow  clearer  and  louder,  till  they  are  no  longer  distinguished 
from  the  rest.  True,  it  is  their  profession,  and  we  have  many  things 
to  think  of;  but  what  time  we  do  give  to  the  study  of  music,  we 
should  give  it  with  all  our  hearts,  as  they  do.'' 

For  elfective  playing  she  gives  the  following  sensible  rules,  inter- 
spersing them  with  her  own  happy  illustrations. 

'  I  have  told  you  that  to  play  a  piece  effectively,  you  must  com- 
prehend it  well.  You  must  also  feel  it  deeply.  It  is  impossible  to 
excite  lively  emotions  in  anotiier's  breast,  while  your  own  remains 
untouched.  There  are  two  rules,  which  may  assist  you  to  attain 
quick  perceptions  of  what  is  correct  and  beautiful ;  and  (witli  the 
help  of  the  mechanical  rules  I  have  given  you)  to  bring  those  per- 
ceptions out  in  your  own  performance.  The  first  is,  to  cultivate 
a  constant  habit  of  listening  to  7tatural  sounds.  Everything  in 
nature  has  a  melody  which  goes  to  the  heart,  and  from  which  we 
may  gain  some  new  and  delightful  ideas,  I  have  called  your  at- 
tention to  the  song  of  birds.  Then  there  is  the  bleating  of  flocks, 
and  the  lowing  of  distant  herds,  and  the  busy  hum  of  insects. 
Above  all,  the  modulations  of  the  human  voice  afford  us  a  per- 
petual source  of  observation.  From  thence  we  may  gather  the  ex- 
pression of  every  stormy  passion  which  agitates,  and  every  tender 
affection  which  soothes  the  heart.  Nor  can  we  listen  to  the  fairy 
tones  of  children,  their  light-liearted  carols,  their  bursts  of  tiny  mer- 
riment, their  mimic  griefs,  and  simply-told  stories,  without  im- 
bibing some  new  and  charming  combinations  of  harmonious  ex- 
pression. If  music  brings  no  lovely  thoughts  and  associations  to 
your  mind,  you  are  learning  it  to  very  little  purpose.  If  it  does,  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  music  of  nature  will  invest  the  ex- 
pression of  those  thoughts  with  a  grace  and  refinement,  which  the 
most  persevering  practice  will  fail  to  impart.  Take  lessons  of  the 
winds  and  of  the  waters,  and  of  the  trees  ;  of  all  animate  and  all 
inanimate  nature.  So  shall  the  very  spirit  of  sweet  sound  and  ex- 
pression enter  into  your  bosom,  and  lie  there,  ready  to  pour  itself 
forth  upon  the  otherwise  low  and  mechanical  music,  which  the 
pressure  of  your  hands  produces  on  the  instrument.  One  of  Han- 
del's finest  pieces  is  said  to  have  been  suggested  by  the  labor  of  a 
blacksmith  at  his  anvil  ;  so  successfully  did  he  watch  for  the 
harmony  that  lies  wrapped  in  the  commonest  sounds. 

'  The  next  rule  I  shall  give  you  is,  to  listen  attentively  to  skil- 
ful performers  ;  noticing  particularly  what  emotions  are  excited  in 
your  mind  by  every  passage  ;  and  by  what  means  they  contrive  io 
produce  the  effect  which  pleases  you.  The  gratification  we  derive 
from  listening  to  music,  is  similar  to  that  which  poetry  imparts  to 
us.  Both  these  delightful  arts  call  into  being  a  thousand  beauti- 
ful imaginations,  tender  feelings,  and  passionate  impulses.     But  in 

1  Pp.  21—23. 


142  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

reading  poetry,  we  are  delighted  with  the  thoughts  of  another  per- 
son ;  and  though  a  beautiful  idea  will  give  us  new  pleasure  every 
time  we  recur  to  it,  still  this  pleasure  is  little  varied,  and  depends 
on  the  conformation  of  the  poet's  mind,  rather  than  of  our  own. 
The  delights  of  music  are  of  our  own  creation.  We  become  for 
the  time  poets  ourselves,  and  enjoy  the  high  privilege  of  inventing, 
combining,  and  diversifying,  at  pleasure,  the  images  which  harmo- 
nious sounds  raise  on  our  minds.  The  self-same  melody  may  be 
repeated  a  hundred  times,  and  inspire  each  time  a  train  of  thought 
different  from  the  last.  Sometimes  it  will  call  forth  all  the  hidden 
stores  of  memory — absent  friends,  voices  long  silent  in  the  tomb, 
lovely  scenes,  pleasant  walks,  and  happy  hours,  come  back  to  us 
in  all  their  freshness  and  reality.  Then  the  future  opens  its  dreary 
prospects,  gilded  by  hope,  and  chastened  by  a  mournful  tenderness. 
The  exile  is  restored  in  glad  anticipation  to  his  country ;  the 
prodigal  sobs  out  his  penitence  on  his  father's  bosom  ;  the  child  of 
affliction  is  safely  lodged  in  that  mansion  where  sorrow  and  crying 
are  unknown.  Sometimes  the  past  is  forgotten,  the  future  un- 
heeded, the  mind  wrapped  up  in  the  present  consciousness  of  subli- 
mity or  beauty.  Forms  of  dehcate  loveliness,  things  such  as  dreams 
are  made  of,  float  before  the  mental  vision,  shaped  into  something 
of  a  waking  distinctness.  Thoughts  too  noble  to  last,  high  and 
holy  resolves,  gushings  of  tenderness,  alternately  possess  our  minds 
with  emotions  all  equally  different,  and  ecjually  delightful.  The  po- 
etical inspiration  of  Altieri  seldom  came  upon  him,  but  when  he  was 
under  the  influence  of  music.  Haydn's  symphonies  were  all  com- 
posed so  as  to  shadow  forth  some  simple  and  affecting  story,  by  which 
the  author  excited  and  varied  his  own  feelings,  and  wrought  them 
up  to  that  pitch  of  solemn  pathos,  or  animated  gayety,  which  to  this 
day,  inspires  all  who  hear  his  music  with  corresponding  emotions."' 

The  Christian  tone  and  descriptive  beauty  of  the  concluding 
paragraphs  will  be  generally  admired.  They  are  in  the  style  of  her 
favorite  writer,  Jeremy  Taylor. 

'The  expression  of  sacred  music  comprehends  every  emotion  that 
can  agitate  the  human  heart,  and  must  be  felt  rather  than  de- 
scribed. The  subdued  tones  of  awful  adoration  ;  the  impassioned 
fervor  of  desire  ;  the  humility  of  prayer ;  the  wailing  of  penitential 
sorrow;  the  glad  notes  of  thanksgiving;  and  the  loud  chorus  of 
praise;  all  these  have  their  own  peculiar  utterance,  and  must  be 
pervaded  b}'  a  depth  and  solemnity  which  shall  distinguish  them 
from  the  meaner  affections  of  humanity. 

'I  am  fearful  of  touching  too  lightly  upon  this  hallowed  subject. 
Many  young  persons,  when  their  feelings  are  excited  by  sacred 
music,  imagine  themselves  to  be  bettered  by  such  feelings,  and  ti) 
be  under  the  influence  of  genuine  religious  sentiments.  But  if  the 
j)lain  majesty  of  the  word  of  God  does  not  suffice  to  kindle  an  equal 
fervor  within  us,  when  we  are  reading  it  silently  and  alone,  we 

1  Pp.  25—26. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  143 

may  be  sure  that  the  emotions  excited  by  the  lovely  songs  and 
pleasant  instruments  of  men  are  the  mere  ebullitions  of  natural 
feeling,  and  have  nothing  to  do  with  religion.  Those  who  would 
sing  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  must  "  sing  them  with  understand- 
ing."' The  undying  torch  of  truth  must  be  lighted  up  in  that 
(jaculty,  before  it  can  set  the  heart  in  a  flame.  There  exists  not  a 
more  dangerous  delusion,  than  to  mistake  the  feverish  excitement 
of  the  imagination  for  the  cheerful  and  steady  glow  of  a  rational 
devotion. 

'  But  while  I  so  anxiously  guard  you  against  this  pernicious  error, 
do  not  for  a  moment  suppose,  that  I  would  shut  you  out  from  the 
privilege  which  all  creation  enjoys,  of  sounding  its  Maker's  praise. 
Oh  !  there  is  a  harmony  in  nature,  inconceivably  attuned  to  one 
glad  purpose !  Everything  in  the  universe  has  a  voice,  with  which 
it  joins  in  the  tribute  of  thanksgiving.  The  whispers  of  the  wind 
playing  with  the  summer  foliage,  and  its  fitful  moanings  through 
the  autumnal  branches ;  the  broken  murmur  of  the  stream,  the 
louder  gushing  of  the  waterfall,  and  the  wild  roar  of  the  cataract, 
all  speak  the  praises  of  God  to  our  hearts.  Who  can  sit  by  the  sea- 
side, when  every  wave  lies  hushed  in  adoration,  or  falls  upon  the 
shore  in  subdued  and  awful  cadence,  without  drinking  in  utterable 
thoughts  of  the  majesty  of  God!  The  loud  hosannas  of  Ocean  in 
the  storm,  and  the  praises  of  God  on  the  whirlwind,  awaken  us  to 
the  same  lesson ;  and  every  peal  of  the  thunder  is  a  hallelujah  to 
the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Oh  !  there  is  a  harmony  in  nature  !  The  voice 
of  every  creature  tells  us  of  the  goodness  of  God.  It  comes  to  us  in 
the  song  of  the  birds  ;  the  deep,  delicious  tones  in  which  the  wood- 
dove  breathes  out  its  happiness ;  the  graceful  melting  descant  of  the 
nightingale  ;  the  joyous  thrilling  melody  of  the  lark  ;  the  thrush's 
wild  warbHng,  and  the  blackbird's  tender  whistle ;  the  soft  piping 
of  the  bullfinch  ;  the  gay  carol  of  the  wren ;  the  sprightly  call  of 
the  goldfinch  ;  and  the  gentle  twittering  of  the  swallow.  Even 
now  when  every  other  bird  is  silent,  little  robin  is  pouring  out  his 
sweetest  of  all  sweet  notes  upon  yonder  rose-bush  ;  and  so  dis- 
tinctly does  he  thank  God,  who  made  the  berries  to  grow  for 
him  upon  the  hawthorn  and  mountain-ash,  and  who  has  put  it 
into  the  heart  of  man  to  love  him,  and  strew  crumbs  for  him  when 
the  berries  fail,  that  my  soul,  too  often  insensible  to  its  own  mer- 
cies, is  warmed  into  gratitude  for  his.  The  very  insect  tribe  have 
entered  into  a  covenant  that  God  shall  at  no  season  of  the  year  be 
without  a  witness  amongst  them  to  his  praise.  For  when  the  hum 
of  the  bees  and  the  chirping  of  the  grasshopper  have  ceased  to  en- 
liven us,  and  the  gnat  has  laid  by  his  horn,  then  the  little  cricket 
wakens  into  life  and  song,  and  gladdens  our  heart  with  the  same 
story  till  the  winter  is  past.  And  so  all  nature  praises  God.  and  is 
never  weary.  If  then  you  are  able  "  to  make  melody  in  your  heart 
to  the  Lord,"  let  your  hand  and  your  voice  make  melody  too,  and 

'    Psalm  xlvii.  7.     1  Corinthians  xiv.  14. 


l44  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

let  the  faculty  which  infinite  benevolence  has  created  for  your  en- 
joyment, be  converted,  as  all  your  other  faculties  should  be,  into  the 
instrument  of  praise.  To  know  that  you  make  this  wortiiiest  use 
of  your  musical  acquirements  will  indeed  rejoice  the  heart  of 

'  Your  affectionate  Friend  and  Cousin, 

'  Mary.'  * 

The  following  exercise  throws  out  some  additional  thoughts  upon 
the  connection  of  poetry  and  music  alluded  to  in  her  tract.  It  was 
written  in  the  form  of  a  letter  to  her  cousin,  for  the  Italian  master 
then  in  attendance  upon  them.  As  she  wrote  Italian  with  con- 
siderable spirit,  and  took  some  pains  with  the  coniposition,  it  may 
have  slightly  suffered  in  a  translation. 

'  1824. 
'My  dear  Friend, 

'  Yesterday  I  was  told  of  an  observation  you  had  made  in  the 
conversazione  of  Mr.  B.  (where  unfortunately  I  could  not  meet  you,) 
and  as  I  do  not  agree  with  you  upon  the  interesting  subject  then 
discussed,  I  will  make  it  the  subject  of  this  letter,  begging  you  to 
excuse  all  the  dullness,  which  you  will  certainly  find  in  my  composi- 
tion. Is  it  possible,  that  you  have  conceived  so  low  an  opinion  of 
the  pleasures  derived  from  harmony,  that  they  do  not  appear  to  you 
worthy  of  being  compared  with  those  of  poetry  1  I  cannot  let  you 
rest  in  this  opinion.  'Allow  me  to  impart  to  my  friend  some  of  the 
delight  which  I  find  in  this  enchanting  art.  Not  that  I  wish  to  say 
a  word  against  poetry — that  purest  and  most  sublime  delight  of  the 
human  mind.  Too  dear  to  me  are  its  sweet  illusions,  in  which  the 
usual  sense  of  the  ills  of  the  present  life  is  lost,  whilst  the  soul  lives 
in  a  world  properly  her  own,  and  sports  with  beings  created  and 
adorned  by  herself.  My  intention  is  only  to  show  you  that  the 
pleasures  derived  from  music  are  not  inferior  to  those  of  poetry,  that 
both  proceed  from  the  same  source,  and  mutually  assist  and  heigh- 
ten each  other.  You  will  perhaps  remind  me  of  the  great  antiquity 
of  poetry,  and  that  from  the  most  remote  ages  it  has  been  the  solace 
of  the  wounded  heart.  But  this  I  cannot  yield  to  you.  Indeed  it 
appears  to  me,  that  music  had  an  earlier  birth,  and  was  the  mother 
of  poetry.  A  shepherd  one  day  discovered  the  flute  which  nature 
has  formed  in  the  waving  reed.  Applying  it  to  his  hps,  he  is  struck 
with  the  beautiful  sounds  which  issue  from  it,  and  he  endeavors  to 
imitate  them  with  his  voice,  in  simple  songs  celebrating  the  beau- 
ties of  his  shepherdess.  By  degrees  the  cadences  of  the  harmony 
suggest  to  him  the  idea  of  rhyme  and  metre,  and  thus  these  two 
beautiful  arts  are  formed  together,  with  so  perfect  a  sympathy 
l)etween  them,  that  the  one  cannot  be  outraged  without  some  injury 
to  the  other.  Let  us  however  leave  this  discussion  upon  the  origin 
of  these  arts,  (for  it  would  be  tiresome  for  us  to  search  into  the 
records  of  past  ages,)  and  turn  our  attention  to  what  is  more  interest- 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY     JANE    GRAHAM.  145 

ing,  the  effects  which,  in  every  age,  they  have  produced  on  the 
heart.  I  wish  to  search  a  htlle  into  your  motives  for  giving  to 
poetry  so  vast  a  superiority  ;  and  the  secret  spring  appears  to  me  to 
be  this  :  the  charms  of  harmony  cause  a  pleasure  perceptible  to  the 
senses,  and  for  its  enjoyment  require  a  certain  physical  conforma- 
tion, a  fine  and  exact  ear.  and  other  things,  which  seem  to  have  a 
connection  with  the  material  part  of  man.  You  have  therefore 
persuaded  yourself,  that  it  is  a  thing  delightful  indeed  to  the  senses, 
but  which  has  little  influence  upon  the  mind  and  upon  the  heart. 
I  flatter  myself  that  I  shall  be  able  to  convince  you  of  the  injustice 
of  this  idea.  Not  only  does  music  give  us  many  ideas,  but  they  are 
of  the  same  description  with  those  inspired  by  poetry,  and  sometimes 
even  more  delightful  to  the  soul.  I  allow  that  the  sweet  harmony 
enters  by  the  ear.  But  thence  it  diff'uses  itself  through  every  part 
of  the  mind.  It  moves  every  passion,  softens  every  affection,  and 
creates  a  thousand  delightful  imaginations,  a  thousand  divine  pro- 
jects, which  excite  to  all  that  is  noble  in  resolve,  and  worthy  in  art. 
If  I  might  draw  a  distinction  between  music  and  poetry,  I  should 
say  that  the  former  brings  us  pleasure  of  a  higher  degree  ;  the  latter 
of  a  longer  duration.  Equally  do  they  inspire  soft  affections  and 
noble  ideas.'  Then,  after  following  the  same  train  of  thought  and 
imagination  as  in  her  Musical  Tract,'  she  adds  in  her  fervent 
glow — 'And  shall  not  a  science,  capable  of  producing  these  senti- 
ments, be  reckoned  among  the  noblest  delights  of  the  human  mind  ? 
1  have  not  time  to  continue  this  interesting  subject.  But  I  cannot 
conclude  without  observing,  that  the  poets  themselves  owe  their 
finest  ideas  to  music.  Do  you  recollect  the  power  which  it  had  over 
the  mind  of  our  favorite  Alfieri  ?  He  could  scarcely  compose  with- 
out its  help.  Many  of  his  noble  tragedies  were  conceived  at  the 
opera.  But  do  thou,  divine  Petrarch,  come  to  help,  and  show  her 
who  admires  thee  so  much,  that  without  the  music  of  nature,  the 
song  of  birds,  the  murmur  of  the  streams,  thou  wouldest  not  have 
been  able  to  enchant  her  with  thy  delicious  rhymes.  With  these 
beautiful  verses  I  conclude  my  letter,  already  too  long,  entreating 
you  to  yield  to  his  representation  of  the  effect  of  fine  sounds  upon 
the  mind. 

'  Se  lamcntar  angeli,  o  verdi  fronde,'  &c. 

'  You  know  the  rest.     I  have  only  time  to  say,  that  I  am  always 

'  Your  very  affectionate 

'Mary.' 

Without  pronouncing  upon  the  contending  claims,  (which  proba- 
bly may  still  be  a  matter  of  dispute,)  the  exercise  is  not  unworthy 
of  the  intellectual  character  of  the  writer,  and  is  specially  interest- 
ing, as  a  burst  of  that  '  vehemence  approaching  to  ecstasy,'  which 
— as  Mr.  CeciMceenly  observed — '  the  world  will  allow  on  almost 

'  See  the  extract,  pp.  124,  125. 
10 


146  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

every  subject,  but  that  which,  above  all  others,  will  justify  it.'  If, 
however,  Miss  Graham  seems  here  to  contend  for  the  precedence  of 
music,  she  was  no  less  warm  a  votary  of  poetry.  Though  she  was 
no  poet  herself,  and  never  till  the  close  of  her  last  illness  did  she 
exercise  even  a  rhyming  propensity,  yet  her  perception  of  the  true 
genius  of  the  science  was  lively  and  accurate,  and  her  enjoyment 
of  its  delights  proportionate.  We  have  already  seen  her  high  zest 
for  Milton.  Wordsworth  was  among  her  chief  modern  favorites ; 
and  even  Lord  Byron  detained  her  for  a  while  the  victim  of  his  fas- 
cinating enchantment.  We  subjoin  a  letter  of  a  very  early  date, 
descriptive  of  her  feelings,  with  much  discrimination  of  taste,  and 
with  all  the  glow  of  her  characteristic  enthusiasm. 

'  July  15,  1822.  . 
'  I  have  not  seen  the  Fourth  Canto  of  Childe  Harold.  I  am 
ashamed  to  say  that  I  like  Manfred.  Diabolical  as  the  sentiments 
of  it  are  in  many  parts,  yet  there  are  some  passages  of  such  exqui- 
site beauty  and  sublimity,  that  it  seems  as  if  a  human  pen  could 
scarcely  have  traced  them.  All  the  time  I  loas  reading  it,  I  felt 
I  was  doing  so?nething  icrong  ;  yet  I  read  some  of  it  over  and 
over  again,  particularly  the  part  where  Manfred  is  upon  the  point 
of  dashing  himself  over  the  precipice.  The  description  of  darkness 
did  not  please  me.  1  thought  it  rather  horrible  than  sublime.  But 
I  am  just  now  in  love  with  another  poet,  who  is  as  fond  of  clothing 
his  pictures  with  the  sunny  radiance  of  happiness  and  benevolence, 
as  Lord  Byron  is  of  spreading  over  his,  darkness  and  desolation.  If 
you  have  read  any  of  his  trifling  poems,  you  will  smile  when  I 
mention  Wordsworth.  But  some  of  his  poems  are  so  beautiful ! 
We  have  just  now  been  reading  '  the  Excursion.'  It  is  tiresome. in 
many  parts ;  but  every  now  and  then  you  meet  with  something  so 
strikingly  fine,  or  so  unutterably  tender,  tliat  it  is  impossible  to  go 
on.  You  must  lay  down  the  book,  till  the  ferment  it  occasions  has 
subsided.' 

Should  Miss  Graham's  delight  in  Lord  Byron's  writings  be  a 
matter  of  surprise,  it  may  be  observed,  that  her  letter  distinctly  re- 
cords the  rebuke  of  conscience  in  her  moments  of  self-indulgence  : 
and  we  doubt  not  but  her  inattention  to  this  rebuke  subjected  her 
to  the  secret  frown  of  her  jealous  God.  We  may  also  add,  that 
shortly  after  ihe  date  of  this  letter,  she  readily  made  the  sacrifice 
of  her  taste  (which  to  her  fervid  mind  required  no  ordinary  offort) 
in  the  total  relinquishment  of  this  source  of  deleterious  pleasure. 
Whatever  weight  may  attach  to  her  judgment  will  therefore  de- 
cidedly be  found  on  tlie  side  of  self-denial,  not  of  self-gratification. 
Indeed,  familiarity  with  works  of  poison,  whatever  be  their  literary 
charms,  seems  inconsistent,  not  only  with  Christian  simplicity,  but 
with  a  common  regard  to  our  personal  welfare,  Tofa  pure  mind 
we  might  have  supposed  that  a  rich  and  splendid  fancy  would  be 
spoiled  of  all  its  attraction  by  its  frequent  connection  with  Hcentious 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  147 

profaneness  and  impiety— moral  deformity,  sufficient  to  cast  the 
most  exquisite  beauties  of  poetry  and  genius  into  the  shade;  and 
the  very  contemplation  of  which,  except  through  a  scrijjtiiral  me- 
dium, must  be  injurious  to  the  best  sensibilities  of  our  nature. 
Even  the  instruction  resulting  from  the  unveiled  features  of  human 
depravity  is  obtained — if  at  all — at  considerable  hazard.  For  let  it 
be  remembered — as  Miss  Graham  has  shown' — that  the  direct  in- 
fluence of  poetry  acts  upon  the  passions,  and  thus  tends  to  produce 
a  corresponding  habit  of  the  mind.  The  evil  propensities  therefore 
portrayed  by  this  master-mind  with  such  awful  exactness,  and  em- 
bracing every  form  of  malignity  that  can  darken  the  heart  of  man, 
naturally  excite  the  working  of  those  passions,  which  it  is  the  grand 
design  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  restrain  and  mortify. 
Whether,  therefore,  the  infidel  poison  acts  with  vindictive  activity, 
or  with  searching  subtilty,  its  pervading  influence  is  equally  to  be 
dreaded.  We  believe  that  many  Christians,  especially  in  moments 
of  temptation,  are  reaping  the  bitter  fruitof  former  indulgence ;  and 
we  are  persuaded  that  none  will  ultimately  have  reason  to  regret 
the  sacrifice  of  the  high  pleasures  of  taste  to  the  far  higher  claims 
of  their  own  spiritual  interests. 

We  add  one  further  quotation  from  Miss  Graham's  manuscript 
upon  a  subject  not  wholly  unconnected  with  the  preceding — works 
of  imagination  in  a  more  legitimate,  though  still  a  questionable, 
form — Religious  Novels.  Observing,  that  '  the  taste  of  the  serious 
public  is  lamentably  vitiated' — she  adds,  '  The  press  teems  with  re- 
ligious novels,  from  the  long  eventful  story  to  the  ephemeral  trifles, 
which  eke  out  tb.e  pages  of  the  spruce  magazine.  The  greater  part 
of  these  are  feeble  to  a  degree  that  would  render  them  harmless, 
were  there  not  a  large  proportion  of  readers,  whose  sickly  appetite 
hankers  after  such  unwholesome  food.  A  few  of  them,  I  own,  stand 
out  from  the  rest,  and  compel  our  admiration.  Yet,  I  must  be  per- 
mitted to  say,  that  the  very  interest  excited  by  these  superior  pro- 
ductions increases  their  bad  tendency.  How  strange  a  medley  of 
sensations  agitates  the  heart,  that  is  fluttering  between  the  emo- 
tions excited  by  the  well-pictured  charms  of  religion,  and  the  love- 
scene  that  is  better  pictured  still  !  How  shall  the  young  and  inex- 
perienced distinguish  between  earthly  and  heavenly  feelings  ?  How 
shall  they  determine,  whether  their  agitation  arises  out  of  romance 
or  religion  ;  from  a  heated  imagination,  or  a  heart  warmed  with 
Divine  love? 

'  I  cannot  conceive  the  use  or  propriety  of  introducing  this  kind  of 
sentimental  narrative  into  works  professedly  of  a  religious  nature. 
Truth  is  not  adorned  but  disguised,  by  being  thus  tricked  out  in 
false  glitter  and  tinsel  ornament.  There  are  but  two  classes  of 
readers;  the  converted  and  the  unconverted.  Those  oi  the  former 
description  would  derive  more  benefit  and  pleasure  too  from  praying 
over  one  verse  of  the  Bible,  than  from  reading  a  whole  library  of  the 

1  See  pp.  124,  127. 


148  MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

above-mentioned  performances.  They  will  neither  assist  him  to 
undersland  the  word  of  truth  himself,  nor  to  explain  it  to  others.  It 
may  be  truly  affirmed  of  the  decided  Christian,  that  for  his  own 
sake,  the  less  he  reads  besides  the  Bible,  the  better.'  But  for  the 
sake  of  his  fellow-men.  his  reading  must  be  more  extensive.  He 
must  seek  to  enlarge  and  confirm  his  general  knowledge ;  must  be 
prepared  to  meet  "inquiry,  to  cope  with  jjrejudice  and  error;  to 
recommend  the  cause  of  religion ;  "  to  become,"  with  the  Apostle, 
"all  things  to  all  men."^  It  Is  not,  however,  by  giving  his  time  to 
the  works  in  question,  that  he  will  attain  this  desirable  object.  His 
mental  character  will  only  be  deteriorated  by  their  enervating  influ- 
ence. They  will  tend  to  impair  both  the  inclination  and  capacity 
for  solid  intellectual  exertion.  It  has  been  urged  in  their  defence, 
that  they  will  open  to  him  a  more  extended  view  of  human  nature. 
But  this  will  be  much  more  eflTectually  obtained  by  comparing  the 
scripture  statement  with  his  own  daily  experience  and  observation. 
Another  argument  in  their  favor  is,  that  they  afford  a  useful  key 
to  the  character  and  manners  of  society.  These,  however,  for  the 
most  part,  are  sketched  with  no  very  skilful  hand.  They  might 
with  greater  accuracy  and  less  expense  of  time,  be  collected  from 
some  of  the  masterpieces  of  authors  not  professedly  religious.  In 
short,  considering  that  the  Christian  part  of  the  community  has  so 
much  to  do,  and  so  short  a  space  to  do  it  in,  it  must  ever  be  matter 
of  regret,  that  so  large  a  proportion  of  their  time  and  talent  should 
be  expended  in  making  idlers  and  castle-builders. 

'  But  toe  turn  our  regard  to  the  careless  and  gay.  We  are 
called  upon  to  observe  the  effect  of  these  publications  upon  their 
minds.  We  are  reminded,  that  many  young  persons  of  lively 
imagination  and  warm  feelings,  who  would  scarcely  look  into  a 
serious  book,  may  be  tempted  to  peruse  these  lighter  works  and 
derive  benefit  froiTi  the  perusal.  I  admit  the  first  part  of  this  prop- 
osition, but  deny  the  conclusion  that  is  drawn  from  it,  except  in  a 
few,  a  very  few  instances,  which  are  to  be  regarded  rather  as  excep- 
tions than  as  a  general  rule.  Rare,  however,  as  these  instances 
are,  they  are  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  They  indicate  that  every 
narrative  of  this  description  must  not  be  included  in  one  sweeping 
condemnation,  not  pronounced  entirely  useless,  since  the  sovereign 

1  This  is  rather  a  questionable  affirmation.  The  general  knowledge,  which  our  Au- 
thoress admits  to  be  beneficial  to  the  Christian  in  the  service  of  others,  is  of  considerable 
advantage  to  himself.  It  enlarges  his  own  mind.  It  throws  much  valuable  light  upon 
the  cont'ents  of  the  sacred  volume.  It  not  only  qualifies  him  to  expound  it  to  others,  but 
it  enables  him  to  elucidate  many  of  its  difficulties  for  his  own  satisfaction,  and  extends 
his  views  of  its  intellectual  and  moral,  as  well  as  spiritual  treasures.  Miss  Graham's 
own  case  may  be  placed  in  opposition  to  her  statement.  As  to  Religious  Reading,  though 
an  indiscriminate  or  disproportioned  indulgence  of  it  is  most  injurious  to  our  simplicity 
and  establishment  in  the  Gospel;  yet  the  writer  may  be  permitted  to  observe,  (discarding 
all  reference  to  himself)  that  the  labors  of  the  pen  as  well  as  of  the  tongue,  have  been 
honored  as  a  means  of  abundant  edification  to  the  church  of  God.  See  R.  E.  Bicker- 
steth's  Christian  Student— a  most  valuable  development  of  the  principles  and  obligations 
of  Christian  knowledge. 

2  1  Cor  ix.  22. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  149 

grace  of  God  will  occasionally  use  even  them  for  its  purpose.  But 
tliey  do  not  prove  the  necessity  of  sending  forth  such  immense 
shoals  of  these  productions,  that  one  would  thinic  liiey  were  designed 
to  supersede  and  swallow  up  every  other.  A  few  would  answer  the 
purpose  just  as  well.  Even  while  I  concede  thus  much,  I  am  in- 
clined to  ask — '  Do  you  not  in  a  measure  create  the  taste,  to  w'hich 
you  profess  only  to  accommodate  yourselves')  Will  not  this  indis- 
position to  all  solid  and  valuable  reading  be  exceedingly  encouraged 
by  your  inilulgent  connivance  ]'  1  much  doubt  both  the  lawfulness 
and  expediency  of  this  mode  of  decoying  people  into  religion.  I 
fear  that  the  quantity  of  good  which  flows  from  it  is  greatly  over- 
balanced by  the  quantity  of  evil.  The  religion  inspired  by  such 
reading  is  of  a  doubtful  nature.  There  is  more  of  earth  in  it  than 
of  heaven.  A  young  person,  whose  tears  flow  over  a  professed 
novel,  is  in  no  danger  of  mistaking  the  excitement  of  feeling  for  the 
fervor  of  devotion.  Not  so  with  these  ambiguous  compositions. 
Romance  and  religion  are  bo  allietl,  that  we  may  suppose  the  latter 
of  these  to  be  embraced,  when  in  effect  her  presence  is  only  toler- 
ated for  the  sake  of  her  fascinating  companion.  Dressed  in  the 
sober  garb  of  truth,  she  will  too  probably  be  rejecied  by  those,  vyho 
permitted  her  to  court  them  under  the  bewitching  veil  of  fiction. 
And  is  it  for  the  sake  of  exciting  this  spurious  devotion,  that  we  run 
the  hazard  of  destroying  the  correct  and  simple  feeling  of  the  rising 
generation,  and  encourage  the  prevalence  of  a  style  of  writing, 
which  can  never  rise  into  genuine  sublimity,  or  fix  itself  upon  a 
basis  of  native  solidity  and  strength  ?' 

This  extract  will  be  generally  admitted  to  mark  considerable 
power  of  writing  and  of  thought.  The  subject  demands  much 
accuracy  of  discrimination  to  place  it  in  its  true  light.  To  proscribe 
works  of  imagination  in  the  mass  would  include  a  much  wider 
sweep  of  condemnation  than  novels  religious  or  irreligious.  It 
would  banish  from  our  reading  much  that  is  not  merely  purely 
innocent,  but  intrinsically  valuable ;  and  seal  up  the  fountain  of 
much  elegant  and  instructive  hterature.  We  might  indeed  adduce 
Dr.  Chalmers'  writing,  for  the  proof,  that  the  corruption  is  in  the 
application— not  in  the  faculty — of  the  imagination,  which  was 
given,  like  every  other  faculty,  for  the  service  of  God  and  of  his 
church.  But  an  infinitely  higher  authority  meets  us  in  the  Divine 
parables  of  our  great  Teacher,  immediately  acting  upon  this  most 
valuable  faculty  for  the  illustration  and  enforcement  of  his  impor- 
tant truths.  And  this  example  is  the  more  to  our  purpose,  as  fixing 
the  limit  and  direction,  as  well  as  legitimating  the  employment  of 
fiction.  The  imagination  is  placed  in  immediate  contact  with  plain 
and  sober  truth  ;  while  it  derives  its  primary  interest,  not  from  its 
own  representations,  but  from  the  truth  which  it  was  intended  to 
exhibit. 

With  all  these  allowances,  however,  the  general  introduction  of 
fiction  into  the  cause  of  truth,  is,  as  Miss  Graham  observes,  of  very 
doubtful  benefit ;  or,  even  admitting  the  prospect  of  usefulness  to  be 


i50  MEMOIR    OK    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

more  determinate,  it  has  proceeded  very  far  beyond  the  necessity 
of  the  case.  Even  in  worlcs  of  a  rehgious  character,  we  are  too 
often  caught  up  into  an  ideal  world  of  poetry  or  romance,  from 
whence  the  descent  is  somewhat  painful  to  the  sober  realities  of  sin 
and  misery — of  "  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit."  Now  minds  formed 
for  effective  usefulness  need  to  be  conversant  with  the  solidity  of 
truth,  not  with  this  visionary  atmosphere  of  fiction  ;  while  the  in- 
dulgence of  this  artificial  character  fosters  a  baneful  spirit  of  ex- 
citement :  generates  a  distaste  for  well-regulated  studies  ;  creates  a 
taste  for  novel  reading  of  a  more  detrimental  character ;  weakens 
the  habit  of  self-control,  so  essential  to  the  strengthening  of  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  principles  ;  and  brings  a  habit  of  sentimen- 
talism  into  the  religious  profession,  in  the  stead  of  simple  and  prac- 
tical spirituality.'' 

The  most  effectual  remedy  against  this  existing  and  unfruitful 
indulgence,  is  to  fill  up  the  time  with  those  solid  pursuits,  which 
leave  no  room,  while  they  mortify  the  taste,  for  works  of  doubtful 
utility ;  and  to  bring  our  intellectual  recreations  to  the  test  of  the 
Scripture  rule,  which  Miss  Graham  on  a  former  occasion  so  justly 
inculcated,  for  the  proof  of  the  legitimacy  of  our  principles  and  en- 
joyments :  "  Whether  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do^  do  all 
to  the  glory  of  GodP^ 

We  conclude  this  selection  from  Miss  Graham's  writings  and  cor- 
respondence, with  an  abstract  of  '  Letters  on  the  Duties  of  a  Gov- 
erness,' a  series  of  which  she  had  contemplated  for  the  use  of  her 
young  cousin,  then  looking  forward  to  this  important  and  most  re- 
sponsible situation.  She  commenced  her  plan  during  her  last  ill- 
ness, and  with  great  difiiculty  wrote  two  letters  in  pencil  from  her 
dying  bed.  Though  too  incomplete  in  thought  and  style  for  pub- 
lication, yet  her  manuscript  will  afford  some  interesting  illustration 
of  Christian  principle,  and  many  valuable  suggestions  of  general 
instruction  for  the  use  of  those  young  persons  who  are  now  filling, 
or  who  are  prospectively  anticipating  this  interesting  station  in  the 
domestic  economy. 

These  letters  appear  to  have  been  one  of  Miss  Graham's  last  ef- 
forts for  one,  whose  best  interests  formed  one  of  her  most  tender 
ties  to  life.  After  commencing  with  the  most  affectionate  ex- 
pression of  her  deep-toned  anxiety  for  her,  she  thus  proceeds  to 
remind  her  of  her  Christian  responsibility. 

'  The  great  wish  of  my  heart  for  you,'  she  writes,  '  is — not  that 
you  may  be  a  very  learned  or  accomplished  governess,  (though 
these  are  highly  valuable  considerations  in  their  place) — but  that, 
possessing  as  large  a  measure  of  these  things  as  your  means  and 

'  Many  works  of  fiction  may  be  rcaJ  with  safi-ty ;  some  even  with  profit.  But  the 
constant  familiarity,  even  with  such  as  are  not  exceptionable  in  themselves,  relaxes  the 
mind,  that  wants  hardening;  dissolves  the  heart,  which  wants  fortifying;  stirs  the  im- 
agination, which  wants  quieting;  irritates  tiie  passions,  which  want  calming;  and 
abandons,  disinclines,  and  disquiliiies  for  active  virtues  and  for  spiritual  exercises.  The 
habitual  indulgence  in  such  readincr,  is  a  silent,  mining  mischief — Hannah  More. 

2  1  Cor.  I.  31.    Comp.  p.  42-i,  430. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  151 

abilities  will  allow,  you  may  he  truly  and  decidedly  a  Christian 

governess.    For,  oh  !  my  dearest ,  yours  is  a  charge  of  souls. 

The  spiritual  welfare  of  your  pupils  is  subordinately  committed  to 
your  care ;  and  at  your  hands  will  the  neglect  of  this  solemn  trust 
be  required.' 

In  this  first  preparatory  letter  she  is  chiefly  occupied  in  incul- 
cating upon  her  cousin  the  Christian  principle  of  faith  in  Christ,  in 
all  its  detailed  application  to  the  circumstances,  trials,  and  en- 
couragements of  the  situation  of  a  governess. 

'  1  can  only  offer  my  advice  to  you  as  a  Christian.  I  know  but 
of  two  states  to  which  children  can  be  brought  up ;  for  heaven  or 
for  hell ;  for  time  or  for  eternity.  I  am  departing  out  of  time  ;  and 
knowing  that  both  for  you  and  them,  time  soon  shall  be  no  more,  I 
dare  not  go  upon  any  system  but  one  fitting  for  souls  born  for  im- 
mortality. Every  word,  then,  that  I  write,  must  be  on  the  sup- 
position that  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  eternal  happiness  of  your 
pupils,  are  your  first  aim  ;  and  that  every  other  object,  however 
praiseworthy  in  itself,  is  only  secondary  and  subservient  to  this  one 
grand  object  of  a  Christian  teacher's  existence. 

'I  exhort  you  to  enter  upon  the  new  and  arduous  duties  of  your 
situation,  ^'looking  to  Jestis^^  Remember  that  he  is  "  the  author 
and  finisher  of  your  faith  ;"  that  you  cannot  stir  one  step  without 
his  aid  ;  and  the  moment  you  begin  to  look  off  from  him  to  any 
other  object,  that  moment  will  your  steps  begin  to  slide.  Fix  your 
eyes,  then,  steadily  upon  him.  "As  the  eyes  of  servants  look  unto 
the  hand  of  their  masters,  and  as  the  eyes  of  a  maiden  unto  the 
hand  of  her  mistress,  so  let  your  eyes  be  upon  the  Lord  your  God,- 
in  all  times,  in  all  places,  and  in  all  circumstances." 

'  And  first,  I  earnestly  recommend  you  to  "  look  unto  Jesus''''  in 
your  choice  of  a  situation.  Pray  constantly  for  Divine  assistance 
and  direction  on  this  most  important  subject.  This  implies  that 
you  intend  to  seek  for  a  situation  among  God's  people  ;  for  I  sup- 
pose you  will  hardly  ask  God  to  give  you  any  other.  You  may 
deem  it  unlikely  that  you  should  obtain  a  situation  in  so  limited  a 
sphere.  But  your  dying  friend  would  remind  you — "  The  God 
who  has  led  me  all  my  life  long,"  never  forsook  me  upon  any  oc- 
casion, when  I  put  my  trust  in  him.  The  word  of  truth  assures 
you,  that  •'  He  has  never  forsaken  any,  who  put  their  trust  in 
him.'"^  Nor  will  he  forsake  you,  if  you  commit  your  way  to  him 
on  this  important  occasion.  From  Abraham's  time  until  now.  the 
Christian's  motto  has  ever  been — "The  Lord  will  provide."^  Only 
"  rest  in  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently  for  Him  ;  fret  not  thyself  in 
any  wise  to  do  evil.     In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him,  and  he 

shall  direct  thy  paths."*     I  charge  it  upon  you,  beloved  ,  as 

my  dying,  earnest  wish,  that  you  take  every  proper  means  to  obtain 
a  situation  among  decided  Christians  ;  and  that,  as  far  as  it  may 
be  in  your  power,  (for  I  know  that  it  may  not  be  always  possible 

'  Hebrews  xii.  2.  -  Psalm  cxxiii.  2.  ^  Psalm  ix.  10. 

*  Gen.  xxii.  14.  5   Psalm  xxxvii.  7,  8.     Prov.  iii.  G. 


162  MEMOIR  OF  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM. 

for  you  to  direct  your  own  conduct.)  you  join  yourself  to  those  who 
"are  not  of  the  world,'"  and.  to  no  others.  An  established  Chris- 
tian might  go  in  faith  under  the  clear  guidance  of  Providence,  into 
a  worldly  or  irreligious  family  ;  and  (it"  the  parent  would  allow  of 
her  interference)  she  might  be  made  a  blessing  to  the  whole  family. 
But  such  a  step,  iDilfidly  taken,  would  be  a  serious— perhaps  a 
fatal— injury  to  an  undecided  Christian.  In  a  vast  mullitude  of 
cases,  the  natural  consequence  of  choosing  a  lot  among  the  children 
of  this  world  has  been,  that  indecision  in  religion  has  become  indif- 
ference;  indifference  has  terminated  in  aversion;  and  the  wretched 
professor  has  shown  herself  openly  on  the  side  of  the  world,  tor- 
mented with  the  sting  of  her  former  convictions,  and  vainly  con- 
trasting her  worldly  mirth  with  "  the  voice  of  rejoicing  and  salva- 
tion," which  she  had  heard  "in  the  tabernacles  of  the  righteous."^ 

'  On  the  other  hand,  a  situation  in  a  truly  Christian  family  will 
cover  you  from  many  worldly  temptations,  and  alford  you  many- 
important  opportunities  of  marking  the  beauty  and  happiness  of 
relioion.  Under  a  kind  Christian  mother,  you  may  be  directed  and 
encouraged  in  extensive  usefulness  to  your  pupils,  while  at  the 
same  time  you  are  receiving  valuable  advantages  for  your  own 
mind.  Under  all  circumstances,  be  assured  that  you  will  find  the 
blessing  of  taking  the  first  great  step  of  your  life— "  looking  unto 
Jesus." 

'"  Look  7into  Jesus'^  also,  for  strength  to  'perform  the  duties  of 
your  situation.  These  you  will  find  to  be  many  and  arduous, 
such  as  in  your  own  strength  you  can  never  rightly  perform.  The 
more  correct  and  enlarged  your  view  of  those  duties,  the  more  readily 
you  will  sink  under  them,  unless  you  can  "  be  strong  in  the  Lord, 
and  in  the  power  of  his  might."  But  remember,  "  you  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  you."  "His  grace  is 
sufficient  for  you;''^  and  his  encouragement  is — "Ask,  and  it  shall 
be  given  you."  Let  a  sense  of  your  continual  need  stir  you  up 
constantly  to  apply  to  him  for  his  aid,  not  only  in  your  spiritual 
duties,  but  in  your  teaching,  in  your  studies,  in  the  very  least  and 
meanest  of  your  employments.  Thus  "out  of  weakness"  you  will 
be  made  "  strong."  You  will  not  soon  "  be  weary  in  well  doing ; 
for  they  that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength."^ 

'  Look  to  him  fox  counsel  in  the  difficulties  of  your  situation. 
Remember  that  he  is  not  only  your  strength,  but  your  "  wisdom." 
When  your  path  is  so  intricate  and  perplexed,  that  you  know  not 
which  way  to  turn,  then  ask  the  Lord  to  "  lead  you  in  a  plain  path," 
to  "  order  your  steps  in  his  word."^  In  every  little,  as  well  as  in 
every  great  perplexity,  follow  David's  rule  to  "  inquire  of  the  Lord."* 
The  advice  of  friends  is  ever  to  be  sought  and  valued  ;  but  that  of 
the  kindest  and  v.  isest  may  sometimes  be  insufficient  or  erroneous, 

1  John  xvii.  25.  2  Psalm  cxviii.  15. 

3  Ephes.  vi.  10.     Phil.  iv.  13.    2  Cor.  xii.  9.     Matt.  vii.  7,  8. 

4  Gal.  vi.  9.     Isa.  xl.  31.  5  ps.  xxvii.  11 ;  cxix.  133. 
6  1  Sam.  xxiii.  '2,  4,  9—13.     -3  Sam  v.  19,  23. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  153 

or  given  in  a  harsh  injudicious  manner.  But  the  Lord  giveth  not 
only  advice,  but  "wisdom,  liberally  and  without  upbraiding."' 

^'•'■Look  nnto  Jesus'^ for  comfort  and  encouragement  in  all  the 
trials  and  disappointments  of  your  situation.  The  life  of  a  governess 
is  peculiarly  subject  to  little  daily  crosses  and  vexations.  These, 
as  well  as  greater  ones,  are  to  be  borne,  by  laying  them  upon  Jesus. 
No  burden  is  too  great  or  too  Uttle  to  be  cast  upon  the  Lord.  A 
cheerful  looking  unto  Jesus,  an  assurance  that  he  ever  loveth  and 
ever  caret h  for  us,  will  bear  us  through  many  petty  annoyances, 
which  somelimes  wear  health  and  spirits  much  more  than  real  and 
great  grievances. 

'  Lastly,  '•  Look  unto  Jesus''  for  a  certain  reward  upon  yoin-  labor. 
You  have  a  promise—"  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go; 
and,  when  he  is  old,  he  will  not  depart  from  it."-  Ask  for  patient, 
earnest  faith,  to  plead  this  promise  importunately,  incessantly  with 
him.  "All  the  promises  of  God  are  yea  and  amen  to  us  in  Christ 
Jesus  ;"^  and  while  we  pray  for,  we  ought  to  expect  their  fulfilment. 
"  He  is  faithful  that  promised."''  The  great  Sower  will  assuredly 
watch  over  the  seed  that  is  sown  in  faith,  and  will  bring  it  to  per- 
fection. You  may  labor  day  after  day  for  the  souls  of  the  children 
under  your  care,  and  yet  see  them  as  careless  and  unconcerned  as 
ever ;  but  look  steadily  unto  Jesus ;  tarry  contentedly  the  Lord's 
leisure  ;  "for  in  due  time^you  shall  reap,  if  you  faint  not.'' '« 

In  her  second  letter  she  enters  into  a  detail  of  some  of  the  plea- 
sures and  discomforts  of  the  life  of  a  governess.  Under  the  former 
head  she  remarks : 

'  The  life  of  a  governess,  however  dull  and  monotonous  it  may 
sometimes  be  thought,  has  many  pleasures  of  a  very  refined  and 
superior  nature.  Among  the  first  of  these,  I  reckon  the  usefulness 
and  importance  of  the  task  in  ichich  she  is  daily  engaged.  Com- 
pare the  recollections  of  a  day  spent  to  some  valuable  purpose,  with 
the  reflections  which  follow  one  that  has  been  frittered  away  in 
trifling  and  vanity,  or  absorbed  in  selfish  gratifications  ;  and  you 
will  see  at  once,  if  you  know  it  not  already,  how  great  the  pleasure 
of  usefulness  must  be  to  every  rational  thinking  being.  But  to  the 
Christian,  this  is  not  only  pleasing,  but  necessary.  It  is  his  pleasure 
and  deliglit  to  lay  himself  out  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of 
his  fellow-creatures.  For  this  he  is  content  to  "  wait  all  the  days  of 
his  appointed  time  ;"'^  and  much  as  he  longs  for  the  pleasures  that 
are  prepared  for  him  above;  yet  if  his  abiding  in  the  flesh  be  need- 
ful for  the  sake  of  one  living  being,  he  would  not  "depart,"  even  "to 
be  with  Christ."''  I  knovv'  of  no  employment  in  which  a  Christian 
woman  can  be  more  profitably  engaged,  than  in  Avatching  over 
the  spiritual  and  mental  improvement  of  children.  The  young 
beings  intrusted  to  her  care  may  form  the  comfort  and  delight  of 
parents,  brethren,  husbands,  friends,  children.     They  may  grow  up 

1  James  i.  5.  2  Prov.  xxii.  6.  3  2  Cor.  i.  20.  *■  Heb.  x.  23, 

5  Gal.  vi.  9.  6  Job  xiv.  14.  t  See  Phil.  i.  23,  24. 


154  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

to  be  happy  in  themselves,  and  blessings  to  society.  Above  all, 
they  may  be  so  many  "jewels"  added  to  the  Redeemer's  crown,  and 
may  themselves  "  turn  many  souls  unto  righteousness."  To  be  the 
instrument  (under  God)  of  the  smallest  particle  of  this  good,  must 
be  inexpressible  delight. 

Notliing  invigorates  our  pj'ogress  so  much  as  encouraging 
prospects  of  success.  This  is  the  undoubted  privilege  of  a  teacher 
of  youth.  Not  to  speak  of  those  promises  of  God,  mentioned  in  my 
last  letter,  and  which  of  themselves  suffice  to  make  us  "  against 
hope  to  believe  in  hope,'"  the  human  probabilities  of  moral  and  in- 
tellectual improvement,  from  which  God  permits  us  to  draw  en- 
couragement, are  most  enlivening.  To  reform  the  manners,  to 
eradicate  the  prejudices,  to  correct  the  tempers,  of  those  whom  age 
has  matured,  and  set  as  it  were  in  the  form  which  they  must  after- 
wards retain,  is  indeed  a  most  difficult  task.  Bat  with  the  young, 
where  we  have  to  form  instead  of  to  reforin,  to  prevent  rather  than 
to  eradicate  :  patient  instruction,  and  unremitting  watchfulness, 
will,  in  ordinary  cases,  succeed  to  a  very  considerable  degree.  And 
though  divine  grace  only  can  subdue  their  evil  tempers  and  dispo- 
sitions, human  means  may  do  much  towards  restraining  that  out- 
ward violence,  which  so  so  often  makes  young  people  not  only 
wreiched  in  themselves,  but  an  occasion  of  sorrow  to  all  connected 
with  them.  The  same  advantage  is  connected  with  Christian 
grace  and  improvement.  The  minister  preaches  with  holy  ear- 
nestness to  his  adult  congregation  :  but  it  is  to  the  young  of  his  flock 
not  yet  hardened  in  sin  or  in  worldly  habits,  that  he  turns  with  pe- 
culiar hope  and  encouragement.  To  this  comparatively  tender 
and  unoccupied  soil,  he  consigns  his  seed,  in  the  cheerful  confidence 
that  it  will  spring  up,  and  bring  forth  fruit  to  perfection.  These 
are  the  hopeful  beings  with  whom  you  will  have  to  deal ;  and  as 
youth  is  the  season  of  hope  and  expectation,  so  is  your  task  pecul- 
iarly one  of  hope  and  glad  anticipations. 

'  In  the  attachment  of  her  pupils,  a  kind  governess  finds 
another  perpetual  source  of  pleasure.  This  you  are  almost  sure 
to  obtain  by  a  habit  of  considerate  and  affectionate  intercourse 
with  them,  especially  if  they  come  under  your  care  at  an  early  age. 
It  is  delightful  to  be  beloved  by  those,  whom  w^e  have  thus  bound 
to  us  by  the  cords  of  gratit.ude  and  love.  For  the  justness  and 
clearness  of  most  of  their  notions  ;  for  their  ability  to  discern  what 
is  good,  and  to  enjoy  what  is  delightful  and  intellectual ;  for  all 
their  knowledge  and  many  of  their  pleasures,  your  pupils  will  prob- 
ably (if  you  conduct  yourself  according  to  my  hopes)  be  indebted 
to  you.  They  will  scarcely  ever  fail  to  manifest  warm  attachment 
to  one,  who  has  so  many  claims  on  their  gratitude.  They  must 
love  their  faithful  adviser,  their  kind  and  intelligent  teacher,  their 
cheerful,  entertaining  companion,  and  their  affectionate  and  sympa- 
thizing friend. 

I  Rom  iv.  18. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  156 

'  The  improvement  of  your  oivn  mind  is  also  a  source  of  inex- 
pressible delight.  A  conscientious  governess  will  be  perpetually 
and  delightfully  improving  herself.  While  explaining  subjects  to 
her  pupils,  her  own  views  become  clearer ;  while  she  is  teaching 
them  facts  or  words,  her  own  recollection  of  them  is  refreshed  and 
strengthened.  The  arrangement  of  her  knowledge  for  the  use  of 
her  pupils  is  of  the  highest  advantage  to  herself.  She  must  learn 
to  think  clearly,  that  she  may  be  able  to  express  her  meaning 
clearly  to  her  young  and  ignorant  auditors  ;  and  if  her  own  acquaint- 
ance with  the  subject  be  obscure,  imperfect,  or  superficial,  the 
attempt  to  teach  will  soon  discover  it  to  her,  and  compel  her  to 
correct  it.  Thus  her  previously  acquired  knowledge  will  be  more 
solid  and  permanent,  while  she  will  be  continually  adding  to  its 
store.  Often  she  may  not  be  able  readily  to  answer  her  pupils' 
questions.  Further  researches,  therefore,  on  her  part  are  necessary ; 
and  thus  the  demands  of  her  teaching  stimulate  to  perpetual  increase 
of  her  attainments. 

'  I  mention  one  more  privilege  connected  with  the  life  of  a  gover- 
ness. Next  to  the  improvement  of  her  own  mind,  and  indeed  be- 
cause of  the  improvement  that  it  yields  to  her  own  mind,  is  the 
pleasure  of  gaining  an  insight  into  the  minds  of  others^  into  the 
human  tnind  in  general.  In  cultivating  a  flower-garden,  there  are 
few  pleasures  equal  to  that  of  watching  the  tender  buds,  as  they 
unfold,  one  by  one,  their  beauteous  petals.  How  delightful  is  it  to 
admire  the  wisdom  of  God,  who  teaclies  them  to  peep  in  due  season 
from  their  mantle  of  green  ;  bids  the  sun  to  clothe  them  in  all  the 
colors  of  the  rainbow  ;  and  endues  them  with  shapes  so  varied, 
and  so  perfect,  that  the  little  flower  has  been  the  joy  and  solace  of 
man's  breast  in  every  age  !  But  what  is  this  to  the  pleasure  of 
watching  the  mind  of  a  little  child,  as  those  faculties  which  lay 
wrapped  within  its  tiny  folds  begin  gradually  to  expand,  each  in  its 
order ;  every  day  witnessing  the  drawing  forth  of  some  new  idea,  or 
the  unfolding  of  some  latent  power?  And  at  a  later  age  to  watch 
those  powers  and  faculties,  as  they  daily  improve  and  strengthen  ; 
to  see  the  unformed  and  untaught  child,  grow  up  before  your  eyes 
into  the  graceful,  refined,  and  intellectual  woman  ;  to  mark  every 
step  by  which  it  is  effected,  and  to  be  yourself  employed  as  an 
instrument  in  effecting  it ;  all  this  is  a  source  of  such  continual  and 
ever-varying  delight,  that  to  my  mind  it  amply  compensates  for  the 
tediousness  and  fatigue  of  teaching.  And  then  there  is  the  pleasure 
of  watching,  not  only  different  faculties,  but  different  minds  ;  ol 
comparing  their  several  degrees  of  development,  and  the  peculiar 
combination  of  faculties,  which  constitutes  the  formation  of  each 
peculiar  turn  of  mental  temperament.  You  may  probably  find 
among  your  pupils  many  instances  of  this  endless  variety ;  the  more 
quick  and  ready  mind  ;  the  lively  and  imaginative  ;  the  clear  and 
decided  ;  the  solid  and  steady  ;  the  strong,  the  deep,  the  energetic, 
the  inquiring,  the  contemplative.  You  will  find  that  each  of  these 
will  develop  itself  in  a  peculiar  manner,  and  put  forth  their  several 


156  MEMOIR  OF  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM. 

powers  and  faculties  with  diffeient  degrees  of  vigor  and  perfection. 
As  an  intelligent  gardener,  in  order  that  his  different  flowers  may 
open  and  expand  to  perfection,  exposes  them  to  every  degree  of  air 
and  heat,  and  treats  them  with  every  variety  of  soil;  so  will  you 
find  the  most  varied  modes  of  treatment  necessary  in  assisting  the 
development  of  your  mental  blossoms,  and  in  contending  with  the 
defects  peculiar  to  each.  These  will  be  gradually  suggested  to  you 
by  experience  ;  and  will  assist  you  much  in  combating  the  defects 
of  your  own  mind,  wiiich  the  coarse  of  your  teaching  in  a  watchful 
habit  of  self-inspection  will  bring  before  you.  And  as  I  he  child  is 
but  the  copy  of  the  man.  you  will  thus  be  better  enabled  to  discern 
the  intellectual  beauties  and  defects  of  those  with  whom  you  con- 
verse. The  dull  and  prosy  cease  to  be  wearisome,  while  we  are 
easily  employed  in  inquiring  into  the  causes  of  their  imperfections, 
how  they  might  have  been,  or  might  still  be  corrected. 

The  advantages  you  loill  gain  in  ivatchhtg  the  tempers  and 
dispositions  of  your  pupils  will  be  yet  more  valuable  and  impor- 
tant. This,  however,  is  a  less  pleasing  task.  The  fall  of  man, 
though  it  has  made  shipwreck  of  every  mental  faculty,  has  still  left 
the  wreck  as  it  were,  the  sadly  obscured  and  mutilated  remains  of 
what  was  once  so  noble  and  beautiful.  But  our  tempers  and  dis- 
positions it  has  totally  perverted.  To  study  the  varieties  of  the 
natural  heart,  is  but  to  study  selfishness  and  pride,  in  all  the  vari- 
ous forms  of  virtue  and  vice,  which  they  have  assumed  for  the  delu- 
sion and  destruction  of  mankind.  Yet,  the  high  importance  of  this 
study,  with  the  word  of  God  for  our  guide,  will  fully  compensate  for 
its  painful  disappointments.  If  God  gives  me  life  and  strength,  I 
shall  again  have  occasion  to  touch  on  these  points  ;  I  will  therefore 
leave  them  now,  and  proceed  to  some  of  the  disadvantages  connect- 
ed with  a  governess's  situation  ;  not  to  discourage  you,  but  to  pre- 
pare you,  if  T  can,  in  some  cases  to  avoid,  in  others,  to  meet  them 
cheerfully.' 

Her  exhibition  of  the  discomforts  of  the  life  of  a  governess  shows 
much  good  sense  and  knowledge  of  character  in  the  true  spirit  of 
Christian  sympathy.  The  most  delightful  characteristic,  however, 
is  the  habitual  bent  of  her  mind,  ever  turning,  like  the  magnetic 
needle,  to  the  point  of  attraction.  Thus,  in  the  first  inconvenience 
that  she  mentions,  the  separatio7t  of  the  governess  from  her  own 
domestic  circle — she  naturally  draws  out  an  application,  which 
seems  to  say  with  the  church  of  old — "  Saw  ye  him  whom  my  soul 
loveth?'"  '  This  grievance,'  as  she  justly  observes,  'is  often  lighter 
than  is  anticipated.  Strangers  cannot  live  long  in  the  same  house 
without  ceasing  to  be  strangers  ;  and  where  there  is  a  due  propor- 
tion of  encouraging  kindness  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  respectful 
confidence  on  the  other ;  friendsliip  will  soon  take  place  of  strange- 
ness and  reserve.  This  is  particularly  the  case,  where  both  parties 
are  sincere  Christians.    The  love  of  their  common  Lord  begets  sucli 

'  Canticles  iii.  3, 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  157 

feelings  of  union  and  sympathy  between  them,  that  the  hand  of 
fellowship  is  soon  held  forth  and  accepted,  as  if  they  had  lon^r 
known  and  loved  each  other.  They  know  so  much  about  each 
other,  of  which  the  rest  of  the  world  is  ignorant ;  they  feel  them- 
selves so  much  of  "  strangers  and  pilgrims  upon  earth,"  that  they 
cannot  but  rejoice  at  meeting  with  a  fellow-sojourner,  who,  like 
themselves,  "has  no  continuing  city,  but  seeks  that  better  coun- 
try,"' to  which  their  own  steps  are  directed.  ^Vdded  to  this  general 
feeling  amongst  the  Lord'^  people,  the  Christian  mother  may  surely 
be  expected  to  receive  with  peculiar  interest  and  aOeclion  the  young 
person  whom  she  has  engaged  to  assist  her  in  bringing  up  for  God 
those  dear  objects  of  her  love,  for  whose  temporal  and  spiritual  wel- 
fare she  cries  unto  Him  night  and  day.  Even  should  you  fail  of 
obtaining  this  privilege  ;  should  your  employers  be  ever  so  cold  and 
distant;  still  tiie  affections  of  your  pupils  conciUated  to  you  by  af- 
fectionate and  judicious  treatment,  will  be  objects  of  incessant  in- 
terest to  fill  up  the  void  in  your  heart,  in  the  consciousness  of  loving 
and  being  loved.  And  I  think  that  a  teacher  of  youth  thus  blessed 
and  encouraged  will  seldom  be  inclined  to  reckon  her  condition 
very  desolate  or  forlorn.  But  even  should  this  comfort  be  denied 
you  (a  misfortune  I  hope  and  trust  very  vmiikely  to  happen  in  your 
case),  I  have  to  remind  you  of  another  source  of  consolation,  which 
can  never  fail  or  disappoint  you.  If  you  now  give  yourself  to  Jesus, 
you  can  never  be  wholly  amongst  strangers  ;  for  your  best,  dearest 
friend — one  who  is  "  born  for  adversity,  who  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother"' — is  with  you,  yea,  and  has  promised  to  be  "  with  you  to 
the  end  of  the  world."-  And  oh  !  what  a  friend  and  comforter  is 
Jesus  !  How  abundant  in  loving-kindness  !  How  tender  in  sym- 
pathy !  How  rich  in  counsel !  How  "  meek  and  lowly"  in  re- 
proof!  How  wise  to  direct !  How  mighty  to  help  !  How  slow  to 
anger !  How  ready  to  forgive  1  What  a  faithful,  unfaihng,  prom- 
ise-keeping friend  !' 

Against '  the  feeling  of  afflictive  solitariness' — a  measure  of  which, 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  must  belong  to  absence 
from  the  happy  family  circle— she  suggests  the  following  alleviating 
considerations.  The  Christian  turn  which  she  gives  to  the  first 
suggestion  is  exquisitely  beautiful : 

'  Think  first.,  what  a  common  privation  it  is.  Almost  every 
family  disperses,  as  the  younger  part  arrive  at  maturity.  One  son 
perhaps  remains  at  home  to  support  his  fcither's  declining  years,  and 
to  fill  his  place  when  he  shall  be  no  more.  The  others  betake 
themselves  to  distant  parts,  and  are  often  content  to  look  forward 
to  a  re-union  in  ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  years.  The  daughters 
probably  marry,  and  accompany  their  husbands  to  remote  situa- 
tions, from  whence  they  return  once  in  a  few  months  or  years,  to 
visit  the  still  dear  party  at  home.  This  you  will  say  is  an  unfair 
comparison.     For  the  happy  young  wife  goes  with  her  husband, 

'  Hebrews  xiii.  14 ;  xi.  16.  *  Matthew  xxviii.  20. 


158  MEMOIR    OF    MARV    JANE    GRAHAM. 

who  is  more  to  her  than  all  the  friends  of  home ;  and  she  is  soon 
settled  ill  a  new  home;  and  surrounded  by  a  family  and  friends 

still  dearer  to  her  than  those  she  has  left.     True,  my  dear ; 

and  this  is  what  1  wish  you  to  bear  upon  your  mind  in  every  trial 
you  may  have  to  encounter.  The  happy  wife  misses  not  the  home 
of  her  youth  ;  because,  wherever  she  goes,  she  carries  with  her  that 
which  is  better  to  her  than  home  ;  and  her  pleasures  now  are  supe- 
rior to  those  she  has  relinquished.  And  tluis  the  devoted  Chris- 
tian, whether  married  or  unmarried,  has  with  her,  wherever  she 
goes,  the  cheering  presence  of  one,  who  is  far  dearer  to  her  than 
husband,  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  or  friends.  She  has  made  her 
home  in  the  bosom  of  her  God  and  Saviour.  Thither  she  flies  for 
sympathy  and  direction.  In  that  kind  bosom  she  can  pour  forth 
her  joys  and  sorrows,  far  better  than  to  the  tenderest  relatives  or 
friends.  She  has  nothing  "  in  heaven  besides  her  God,  nor  on 
earth  any  she  desires  in  comparison  of  him."  She  must  feel  as  a 
stranger  even  in  her  own  home,  if  it  be  composed  of  such  as  know 
not  the  name  of  Jesus ;  and  wherever  that  beloved  name  is  known 
and  esteemed,  there  she  is  happy  and  at  home.  Go  where  she 
will,  she  cannot  journey  to  the  place  where  God  is  not ;  go  where 
she  will,  she  is  still  drawing  near  to  that  home,  on  which  her 
thoughts  and  affections  are  fixed.' 

Another  ground  of  alleviation  is  very  pointedly  and  sensibly  set 
forth. 

'This  painful  separation  from  home,  is  in  reality  (under  present 
circumstances)  the  best  and  happiest  thing  for  you.  Were  two 
situations  equally  eligible  to  present  themselves,  and  were  I  asked 
to  assist  you  in  your  choice,  assuredly  the  one  near  home  would  not 
be  the  object  of  my  preference.  A  continual  recurrence  to  the  com- 
forts and  liberty  of  home,  makes  every  little  restraint  and  discom- 
fort of  a  situation  doubly  irksome  and  annoying.  The  poor  gov- 
erness, who  has  the  misnamed  privilege  of  perpetual  access  to  her 
home,  returns  from  it  in  no  very  favorable  mood  to  a  place  where 
she  cannot  (at  least  at  first)  be  loved,  caressed,  and  appreciated,  as 
amongst  her  own  friends.  It  is  but  too  natural,  that  she  should 
consider  every  little  departure  from  the  unlimited  and  perhaps  in- 
judicious indulgence,  which  she  has  just  experienced,  as  an  actual 
deviation  from  the  law  of  kindness  and  equity  ;  that  she  should 
magnify  every  real  or  fancied  slight  into  contempt,  every  expression 
of  disapproval  into  a  harsh  reproof,  and  every  degree  of  strictness 
in  requirement  into  an  unreasonable  exaction.  Soon  the  very  near- 
ness of  her  home  tempts  her  steps  thither  again.  There  the  well- 
lilled  budget  of  petty  trials  and  vexations,  which  few  young  per- 
sons have  the  wisdom  to  conceal  within  their  own  bosoms,  or  to 
tell  to  none  but  God,  is  emptied  out  before  partial  relatives,  who 
hear  but  one  side  of  the  story,  and  are  too  apt  to  take  it  for  granted, 
that  there  is  no  other  way  of  telling  it.  They  cannot  refuse  to 
sympathize  and  console  ;  and  while  they  are  wondering  that  such 
an  attention  was  omitted,  such  a  fault  found,  or  such  a  duty  ex- 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.     »  159 

acted,  they  little  suspect  themselves  to  be  the  cause  of  the  forlorn 
and  disconsolate  state  of  their  dear  relation.  Nor  does  the  evil  end 
here.  Her  mind  divided  between  her  pupils  and  home,  cannot  fully 
and  affectionately  employ  all  its  energies  in  the  service  of  the 
former.  Too  often  will  her  absent  looks  and  languid  attention  be- 
tray the  fact  so  injurious  for  pupils  to  discover,  that  her  mind  can 
wander  as  well  as  theirs  :  and  that  their  improvement  and  enter- 
tainment are  objects  which  soon  slide  out  of  her  thouglits,  when 
occupied  by  subjects  of  more  pleasant  contemplation.  Nor  have  I 
yet  made  the  obvious  remark,  that  the  time  lost  in  these  frequent 
visits,  however  short,  must  deprive  her  of  many  opportunities  of 
private  improvement ;  and  thus  prove  in  the  end  extremely  detri- 
mental both  to  herself  and  her  younger  charge.  From  these  con- 
siderations, a  moderate  distance  from  home  is  far  preferable,  from 
whence  at  stated  and  proper  intervals  you  are  permitted  to  revisit 
your  friends.  And  I  think  that  such  reflections  as  these  might  en- 
able us  to  bear  the  discomforts  even  of  a  long  separation  from 
home,  not  merely  with  patience,  but  with  thankfulness. 

'I  cannot  quit  this  subject  without  strongly  cautioning  you,  not 
too  hastily  to  accuse  the  parents  of  your  pupils  of  being  unkind  or 
unreasonable,  because  they  are  not  willing  to  grant  you  leave  of 
absence  whenever  you  think  fit  to  ask  it.  They,  perhaps,  with 
more  justice,  may  think  the  unreasonableness  to  be  all  on  your  side. 
It  is  both  right  and  natural,  that  they  should  anxiously  desire  the 
improvement  of  their  children  in  every  branch  of  instruction  to 
which  their  attention  has  been  directed  ;  and  they  know  that  this 
is  only  to  be  attained  by  a  steady  course  of  persevering  application. 
They  know  that  every  interruption  to  this  course  must  have  a 
pernicious  effect,  by  weakening  habits  newly  formed,  and  permitting 
old  and  bad  habits  to  revive ;  by  unsettling  the  mind  in  all  its  pur- 
suits, and  blotting  out  much  of  what  has  been  already  learned.  If, 
therefore,  they  oppose  your  absence,  it  is  because  they  value  your 
services  too  much  to  part  with  them  lightly,  or  without  sufficient 
cause.  There  are  few  cases  in  which  you  ought  not  to  submit  to 
their  decision.  But  the  best  way  to  prevent  any  future  misunder- 
standing or  disappointment,  is  to  make  some  arrangement  before 
you  enter  upon  your  situation.' 

"^The  frequent  change  of  situation,  or  tlie  liability  to  this  change. 
is  well  pointed  out  as  a  serious  evil  attending  the  life  of  a  governess. 

'  Her  duties,'  it  is  observed,'  are  becoming  easy  and  delightful  to 
her ;  she  is  beginning  to  rejoice  in  the  growing  attachment  of  her 
pupils ;  she  feels  that  she  can  look  round  on  their  little  faces  with. a 
degree  of  maternal  affection  ;  when  some  unexpected  cause  induces 
or  compels  her  to  reUnquish  her  situation.  She  has  long  been 
employed  in  clearing  away  the  rubbish  ;  in  laying  the  foundation  ; 
and  in  collecting  and  arranging  the  materials  of  her  intended  super- 
structure, which  was  beginning  to  rise  with  a  daily  increasing  order 
and  symmetry.  This  state  of  things  might  probably  appear  rude 
and  unfinished  to  the  eye  of  others ;  but  it  was  full  of  hope  and 


160  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

interest  to  her,  who  had  been  watching  its  progress  from  day  to  day, 
and  cot)fidentIy  awaiting  tlie  happy,  though  distant  completion  of 
her  labors.  Her  work  must  now  pass  into  the  hands  of  another, 
who  neither  witnessed  its  commencement,  nor  can  be  aware  of 
many  important  points  connected  with  its  progress.  The  new 
teacher,  however,  succeeds  to  all  the  benefits  of  that  preparatory 
drudgery,  with  which  her  predecessor  had  hoped  to  pave  the  way  for 
her  own  future  exertions.  It  seldom  happens  that  the  children  are 
not  seriously  injured  by  this  change  of  system.  The  very  act  of 
changing  has  a  tendency  to  unsettle  the  mind.  The  new  comer's 
manner,  her  new  mode  of  expression,  and  new  system  of  teaching, 
must  render  her  at  first  less  intelligible  to  tiiem,  than  the  familiar 
voice  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed  ;  and  till  this  disadvan- 
tage is  conquered;  her  services  must  prove  less  effective.  Besides,  too 
often  the  new  governess,  confident  of  the  superiority  of  her  own 
methods  of  instruction,  hastily  puts  aside  the  rules  and  arrangements 
of  her  predecessor — not  because  they  are  not  good,  but  as  if  they 
could  not  be  good,  because  they  were  not  her  own.  Then  the 
children  also  are  discouraged  and  thrown  back  in  many  of  their 
studies,  that  they  may  be  grounded  in  them  on  the  new  system. 
Perhaps  ere  long  another  change  is  determined — a  new  teacher 
comes — and  the  best  methods  are  displaced  by  others  that  are  r\ewer 
and  better  still.  The  result  of  this  broken  and  interrupted  educa- 
tion will  be  a  sort  of  clumsy  patchwork,  made  up  of  a  medley  of  fine 
and  coarse  materials,  ill-contrived,  ill-assorted,  and  loosely  put 
together.  These  are  some  of  the  real  injuries  inflicted  on  children 
by  the  frequent  change  of  domestic  administration. 

'  M}'-  chief  concern,  however,  is  with  the  governess.  In  addition 
to  these  mortifying  circumstances,  she  is  again  thrown  upon  the 
world.  She  must  once  more  take  up  her  abode  amongst  strangers  ; 
her  pupils  are  again  unfamiliar  to  her  ;  she  must  study  their  tem- 
pers ;  conciliate  their  affections  ;  examine  and  arrange  their  present 
acquirements :  in  short,  she  must  encounter  anew  every  former 
difficulty.  And  when  all  this  is  effected,  and  things  begin  to  glide 
smoothly  on,  another  change,  another  loss  of  time  and  labor,  may 
yet  be  in  prospect  for  her.  The  web  may  be  again  imravelled  ;  the 
stone,  that  had  been  heaved  half-way  up  the  mountain,  may  roll 
down  again  to  its  very  foot.  I  have  dwelt  strongly  on  the  evils  re- 
sulting from  a  frequent  change  of  situation — not  by  way  of  dis- 
couragement, but  of  warning.  I  am  persuaded  that,  in  a  large 
majority  of  cases,  young  people  might  and  would  retain  their 
engagement  in  one  family  much  longer  than  they  do,  if  only  they 
would  calmly  sit  down,  and  count  the  serious  cost  both  to  themselves 
and  to  their  pupils,  (to  which  I  have  alluded,)  in  relinquishing  it.' 

It  would  be  difficult  in  all  cases  to  determine  what  might  be 
deemed  a  sufficient  reason  for  relinquishing  a  situation.  A  few  de- 
cidedly insullicient  motives  are  accurately  specified. 

'  /  need  scarcely  suggest,  that  a  trifling  increase  of  salary 
would  be  an  insufficient  reason  for  quitting  a  tolerably  comforta- 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  l61 

ble  situation.  Circumstances,  such  as  some  urgent  family  call 
upon  your  assistance,  might  indeed  render  a  change  not  only  ex- 
cusable l)ut  praiseworthy.  But  without  an  imperative  call,  it  will 
be  equally  your  interest  and  happiness  to  retain  your  station.  1 
consider  the  governesS;  who  will  abandon  her  young  charge  for  the 
mere  sake  of  a  little  paltry  emolument,  much  in  the  same  light  as 
the  minister,  who  will  leave  his  larger  flock  for  the  same  base  mo- 
tive of  "  filthy  lucre,"  without  any  clear  providential  call.  This 
abandonment  of  present  and  certain  usefulness  for  the  sake  of  some- 
thing new  and  uncertain— whether  dictated  by  the  love  of  gain,  or 
the  love  of  novelty— is  not  only  sinful  but  imprudent.  You  are 
now  more  or  less  comfortably  settled.  You  know  not  how  many 
discomforts  may  await  you  in  a  new  situation.  You  leave  those 
who  probably  are  becoming  attached  to  you,  for  those  who  at  pres- 
ent neither  know  nor  care  anything  about  you.  This  is  not  the 
way  to  lay  up  friends  against  the  time  of  sickness,  distress,  or  age. 
The  plain  path  of  duty  is  always  the  path  of  prudence.  Here  only 
can  you  expect  the  "  blessing  of  the  Lord,  which  maketh  rich  ;  and 
he  addeth  no  sorroio  to  it."'  When,  however,  any  tempting  offer 
occurs,  the  love  of  gain,  so  common  to  all,  the  love  of  novelty  so  in- 
herent in  young  minds,  and  the  persuasions  of  older  sordid  friends, 
are  too  Ukely  to  prevail  with  a  young  person,  who  is  not  enabled  to 
hold  fast  her  integrity,  by  working  with  a  single  eye  to  the  service 
of  Christ. 

^  Nor  do  It/link  that  any  trijlitig  inconveiiience  shonld  induce 
you  to  relinquish  an  engagement  which  holds  out  to  you  a  fair 
-prospect  of  usefidness.  Every  situation  has  its  trials  and  priva- 
tions ;  and  it  is  better,  if  possible,  to  put  up  with  those  which  already 
fall  to  your  share,  than  to  run  the  risk  of  incurring  others  which 
may  be  worse.  Besides,  these  petty  hardships  are  always  most  se- 
verely felt  at  first.  After  a  time  they  wear  off,  and  at  length  cease 
to  occasion  any  considerable  uneasiness.  When  the  temper  of  either 
parents  or  children  is  a  trial  to  you  ;  when  the  parents,  through 
pride,  avarice,  or  inconsideration,  fail  in  a  proper  attention  to  your 
comforts  ;  when  the  extreme  retirement  or  excessive  bustle  of  your 
situation  makes  it  very  unpleasant  to  you,  &c. — in  these  and  many 
other  similar  cases,  I  should  advise  you  to  make  as  light  of  the  evil 
as  you  can.  and  to  bear  with  it  as  long  as  it  can  possibly  be  borne 
with. 

'  Again — let  not  any  sudden  fit  of  despondency  induce  you  to 
give  up  your  situation.  There  are  few  teachers,  who  cannot  rec- 
ollect a  time,  when  everything  seemed  to  go  wrong  with  them — 
'  No  children  ever  repaid  the  trouble  bestowed  on  them  so  little  ;  no 
situation  ever  possessed  so  few  advantages  :  no  parents  were  evcF 
so  exacting  and  dissatisfied.  In  any  other  family  they  should  suc- 
ceed better  ;  here  they  can  neither  do  justice  to  their  pupils  nor  to 
themselves.'     Such  feelings,  which  may  be  expected  to  arise  in 

^  Proverbs  i.  22. 
11 


162  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

times  of  difficulty  and  discouragement,  mark  something  very  wrong 
in  your  own  heart,  that  casts  a  shade  upon  all  the  objects  around 
you ;  something  that  needs — not  the  indulgent  experiment  of  change 
of  situation — but  a  special  course  of  self-examination,  watchfulness, 
and  prayer,  to  restore  a  healthful  tone  of  energy,  cheerfulness,  and 
satisfaction  to  your  mind. 

'  I  need  scaicely  observe,  that  710  offence,  real  or  fancied,  except 
the  former  be  of  a  very  clear  and  aggravated  character,  could  jus- 
tify you  in  quitting  a  family,  in  which  you  may  have  probably 
received  much  kindness,  aad  may  receive  much  more.  A  governess 
must  expect  to  be  told  of  her  faults,  and  ought  to  be  thankful  for 
such  information  as  may  lead  to  their  correction.  Christians  indeed 
too  often  perform  the  difficult  office  of  reproof  in  a  very  harsh  and 
grating  manner ;  forgetting  that  the  reproof  of  "  the  righteous 
should  be  like  excellent  oil,"  not  to  "break,"  but  to  heal,  the 
wounded  spirit.^  Yet  the  harshness  with  which  a  censure  may  be 
given,  forms  no  excuse  for  a  defect  of  Christian  meekness  and  love 
in  receiving  it.  "  Be  not  hasty  in  thy  spirit  to  be  angry  ;"  but  re- 
member that  ''a  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath."-  Indulge  not 
that  sensitive  temper,  which  is  always  looking  out  for  some  ground 
of  offi3nce,  over  which  it  can  brood,  till  it  bursts  out  into  open  dis- 
content ;  which  bristles  up  at  every  hght  and  unguarded  expres- 
sion, and  is  always  on  the  defensive,  even  when  no  intentional  slight 
could  have  been  conceived.  You  will  never  long  retain  a  situation 
without  a  forbearing  spirit  in  respect  of  many  little  tilings,  which 
are  grating  to  a  proud  aad  self-conceited  temper.  Good  sense  and 
experience  ivill  indeed  help  to  depress  this  baneful  temper.  For 
we  can  scarcely  so  far  shut  our  eyes  to  the  passing  world  around 
us,  as  to  fail  in  discovering,  that  the  good  opinion  we  may  have 
formed  of  ourselves  is  ill- warranted  by  the  general  estimation  in 
which  we  are  held  ;  and  that  we  must  expect  our  full  share  of  in- 
convenience and  neglect.  But  true  Christian  hu7ndity  can  alone 
conquer  the  evil,  "  by  bringing  into  captivity  every  high  thought  to 
the  obedience  of  Christ."^  The  spirit  and  temper  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking  is  ever  ready  to  take  lire  at  the  least  provocation,  or 
even  without  provocation.  It  exacts  not  only  due  respect,  but  much 
more  than,  if  it  knew  itself,  it  would  find  to  be  its  due.  It  can  bear 
with  nothing;  it  can  endure  nothing.  But  do  you  follow  after  that 
"  charity  which  suffereth  long  and  is  kind  ;  is  not  puffed  up ;  doth 
not  behave  itself  unseemly  ;  seeketh  not  her  own ;  is  not  easily 
provoked  ;  beareth  all  things."'* 

'  To  sum  up  what  I  have  said  in  a  few  words — when  you  have 
taken  up  your  abode  in  a  family,  and  have  fairly  set  down  to  the 
performance  of  your  duties,  remember  that  you  are  in  the  station 
to  which  God  in  his  providence  has  called  you  ;  and  that  nothing 
but  a  clear  and  exphcit  call  of  duty  or  necessity  can  justify  you  in 
quitting  it. 

1  Psalm  cxli.  5.  ^  Ecclesiastes  vii.  9.     Prov.  xv.  1. 

3  2  Cor.  X.  5.  ^1  Cor.  xiii.  4—7. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  163 

'  The  causes  that  might  induce  your  employers  to  dissolve  the 
engagement  (in  which  case  you  can  have  no  alternative)  very  ma- 
terially dej3end  upon  yourself.  Under  any  ground^  just  or  iinjust  ; 
of  their  dissatisfaction  with  yoUy  endeavor  in  the  spirit  of  prayer 
to  sift  every  part  of  your  conduct,  and  particularly  the  part  censured, 
to  the  very  bottom.  Put  yourself  in  their  place.  Make  every  al- 
lowance for  the  feelings  of  an  anxious  parent ;  and  consider  what 
might  fairly  be  expected  from  you,  and  how  far  you  have  answered 
those  expectations.  Under  any  error  discovered,  be  not  ashamed 
to  confess  your  fault  with  all  candor  and  humility,  and  (in  higher 
strength  than  your  own)  to  promise  amendment.  To  retain  your 
situation  by  this  "  voluntary  humility"  will  be  truly  honorable  in 
the  eyes  of  Christians,  who  know  that  "  he  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted."'  But  supposing  that,  after  sincere  self-examina- 
tion, you  cannot  acknowledge  the  justice  of  the  censure,  still,  as  a 
Christian,  strive  to  conciliate.  Do  not  get  warm  or  angry  in  your 
own  justification  ;  mildly  profess  your  freedom  from  any  intentional 
offence  or  omission  ;  and  declare  your  readiness  to  redouble  your 
efforts  to  give  satisfaction. 

'  Should  incompetency  he  alleged  against  you,  I  should  advise 
you,  rather  than  give  up  your  engagement  in  despair  or  in  offence, 
to  endeavor  by  redoubled  diligence  and  application,  especially  in 
the  particular  ground  of  complaint,  to  redeem  and  establish  your 
character.  Christian  gentleness  and  humility  to  explain  and  con- 
ciliate, and  a  willingness  to  correct  errors,  and  to  supply  omissions, 
will  in  many  cases  restore  satisfaction  and  confidence  in  the  minds 
of  your  employers. 

'Should  however — not  any  fault  or  caprice  on  either  side— but 
some  2inavoidahle  domestic  necessity,  dissolve  the  connection,  in 
this  case  many  mitigating  circumstances  will  present  themselves  to 
your  mind.  In  the  first  place — "  It  is  the  Lord  ;"  and  not  one  of 
his  appointments  or  disappointments  is  without  some  wise  and  gra- 
cious purpose.  In  the  next  place — all  painful  feeling  of  responsibility 
for  any  evil  that  inay  result  from  the  change  is  entirely  removed. 
And  thus  supported  by  a  sense  of  God's  blessing,  and  a  clear  con- 
science, you  may  look  cheerfully  forward  to  your  new  destination, 
hoping  to  gain  new  friends  without  losing  the  old.' 

The  writer  has  been  induced  to  quote  so  largely  from  these  letters, 
because  he  is  not  aware  of  any  work  that  enters  into  the  details  of 
the  principles,  characteristics,  and  sympathies  of  the  life  of  a  gover- 
ness. Had  Miss  Graham  been  permitted  to  complete  her  design^ 
her  accurate  and  observant  mind  would  probably  have  produced  a 
valuable  manual  for  this  interesting  and  important  class  of  society .^ 
In  the  defect;  however,  of  an  entire  system  of  instruction,  the  pre- 

'  Luke  xviii.  14. 
2  A  small  volume,  lately  published, — '  Letters  to  a  young  Governess,  by  S.  F.  Ridout,' 
contains  ranch  valuable  suggestion  in  filling  up  Miss  Graham's  imperfect  sketch. 


164  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

ceding  hints  will  be  found  to  suggest  much  sensible  instruction 
nearly  connected  with  their  comfort  and  usefulness. 

In  the  choice  of  a  governess,  solid  principle  is  of  far  greater  mo- 
ment than  accomplishment.  Let  the  intellectual  adorning  have  its 
due  weight  and  consideration.  But  after  all — ^the  formation  of  the 
character  upon  Christian  habits  of  thinking  and  conduct — and  the 
storing  of  the  mind  with  useful  knowledge — is  the  primary  concern. 
Where  rectitude  of  principle  have  been  fully  proved,  instruction 
may  supply  many  lesser  defects— and  redoubled  diligence  and 
application  will, — as  Miss  Graham  observes, — do  much  to  establish 
the  character,  as  well  as  to  strengthen  the  tone  of  mind.  We  must, 
however,  preserve  an  even  balance  in  the  adjustment  of  this  impor- 
tant part  of  domestic  economy.  If  the  generality  of  instructors  are 
too  flimsily  furnished  for  their  great  task,  perhaps  it  may  be  also 
said,  that  the  generality  of  their  employers  are  too  niggardly. 
Though  Miss  Graham  rightly  inculcates  upon  her  young  governess 
not  to  consider  stipend  a  primary  matter,  yet  it  is  a  part  of  Christian 
obligation  to  elevate  her  in  a  high  rank  above  the  menials  of  the 
house,  and  to  consider  the  claims  of  aged  parents  or  poor  relations, 
that  often  press  upon  her.  Where  there  is  no  power  to  give  the 
liberal  remuneration  that  is  deserved,  special  care  must  be  taken  to 
compensate  by  the  coin  of  affection  and  esteem — to  a  sensitive  and 
delicate  mind  more  acceptable  than  any  increased  pecuniary  con- 
sideration. Under  all  circumstances,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  the 
labor  of  instruction  is  an  anxious — and  with  children  of  lively  and 
untractable  temperament — a  very  depressing  task.  Let  not,  there- 
fore, the  slight  or  caprice  of  parents,  or  the  contumely  of  servants,  be 
added  to  their  painful  privations  and  sacrifices.  It  is  too  often 
found,  that  inconsiderate  selfishness  and  formal  pride  on  the  part  of 
the  parents  materially  hinder  the  effective  usefulness  of  the  family 
instructors.  It  fosters  in  them  a  discontented  spirit  in  the  contrast 
with  the  tender  sympathies  of  their  own  home.  Their  insulated 
station  in  the  family  throws  them  in  irksome  solitude  upon  their  own 
resources ;  contracts  their  social  affections ;  and  paralyzes  that 
aflfectionate  interest  in  their  charge,  which  is  the  soul  and  energy 
of  a  fruitful  system  of  instruction.  Whereas  a  considerate  tender- 
ness would  return  to  the  parents  an  abundant  recompense,  in  rais- 
ing up  for  their  children  valuable  friends  in  the  persons  of  their  in- 
structors— attached  to  their  interests  beyond  the  prospects  of  sordid 
gain — wise,  anxious,  and  sympathizing  counsellors  to  the  end  of  life. 

On  the  other  hand,  personal  hindrances  too  often  restrain  the 
disposition  of  the  employers  to  incorporate  the  instructor,  as  far  as 
is  consistent  with  her  station,  into  the  family  circle ;  and  this,  even 
when  a  well-furnished  mind  and  general  consistency  of  conduct 
would  have  made  her  society  an  important  consideration.  A  want 
of  knowledge  or  respect  for  the  regulations  of  decorum — defect  of 
manners — forgetfulness  of  the  due  reserve  connected  with  her  situa- 
tion— pedantic  tone  of  conversation — vanity  of  dress — self  impor- 
tance— a  disputatious  spirit — a  love   of  authority — affectation,  or 


MEMOIR    OF   MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  165 

studied  eccentricity  of  behavior — these  or  some  other  failure  in  the 
domestic  graces — repel  the  exercise  of  kindly  confidence,  and  pro- 
duce a  natural,  and  in  some  degree  a  necessary,  distance  in  the 
deportment  of  the  parents. 

Let  each  side  form  their  mutual  behavior  upon  scriptural  rules. 
Let  the  one  practise  the  injunction  of  love — "  Whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.'"  liet  the 
other  "  be  clothed  with  humility,"  and  be  found  in  the  daily  observ- 
ance of  '•'  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely, 
whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report."^  Thus  Christian  regard  and 
happiness  will  be  reciprocally  diffused,  without  any  compromise  of 
their  several  obligations. 

»  Matt.  vii.  7.  13.  2  i  Peter,  v.  5.     Phil.  iv.  8. 


CHAPTER   V. 


DIFFERENT    VIEWS    AND    FEATURES    IN    MISS    GRAHAMS 
CHARACTER. 

The  retired  and  uniform  habits  of  Miss  Graham's  Ufa  scarcely 
allow  of  a  detailed  illustration  of  her  natural  character.  That 
singular  freedom  from  selfishness,  remarked  in  her  early  history," 
appears  to  have  been,  by  the  common  consent  of  all  her  intelligent 
friends,  a  most  prominent  feature  throughout  life.  One  of  her 
young  companions,  whose  subsequent  opportunities  of  observation 
give  weight  to  her  testimony,  thus  confirms  the  general  remark  on 
this  point : — '  The  situation  which  1  have  filled  for  some  years  (in 
tuition)  has  of  course  brought  under  my  notice  the  various  dispo- 
sitions and  peculiar  tempers  of  children  in  general.  From  neces- 
sity partly,  I  have  studied  them.  But  I  have  never  met  with  one, 
who  in  any  degree  answered  my  recollections  of  Mary  Graham. 
Warm  and  susceptible  in  her  feelings,  she  was  tender  to  those  of 
others  ;  nor  did  she  ever  puffer  any  regret  or  disappointment  in  her 
own  mind  to  interfere  with  the  comfort  or  pleasure  of  her  com- 
panions.' The  testimony  of  her  young  cousin  is  to  the  same 
purport.  '  I  never  saw  any  one  so  devoid  of  selfishness,  or  who  took 
so  warm  an  interest  in  the  happiness  of  her  fellow-creatures.  There 
was  not  one  of  my  amusements  or  childish  sorrows  in  which  she 
would  not  take  her  share.  As  I  grew  up,  her  kindness  in  this  re- 
spect increased.'  This  lovely  trait  was  combined  with  a  sweetness 
and  gentleness  of  disposition,  and,  being  moulded  under  the  influ- 
ence of  divine  grace,  attracted  the  regard  even  of  the  thoughtless 
and  unobservant.  Indeed  her  young  friend  first  alluded  to  does 
not  hesitate  to  assert — '  My  earliest  remembrance  of  her  is  con- 
nected with  feelings  of  respect,  which,  I  think  I  may  say,  I  have 
scarcely  felt  in  a  stronger  degree  for  any  one  I  have  since  known.' 

We  have  already  given  her  parents'  account  of  her  relative 
character  under  their  own  roof.*^  In  its  wider  sphere  of  operation  it 
may,  however,  be  added,  that  her  natural  afllection  was  enlarged  in 
no  common  degree  to  all  that  belonged  to  her,  and  manifested  in 
the  most  important  and  practical  mode  of  constant  prayer  and  ef- 
fort for  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  She  sometimes  spent  a  great 
part  of  the  night  in  earnest  and  persevering  intercession  ;  and  on 
one  occasion  was  known,  after  she  had  retired  to  rest,  to  arise  from 
her  bed  to  employ  herself  in  special  prayer,  in  behalf  of  her  only 
brother,  who  died  in  America  about  this  time,  and  for  whom  she 

>  Patre  11.  «  Ibid. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  167 

never  ceased  to  cherish  the  hope,  that  her  prayers  were  heard  with 
acceptance. 

The  following  letter  fully  enforces  the  claims  of  natural  affection 
upon  the  basis  of  the  high  principles  of  the  Gospel.  In  quickening 
her  friend  to  a  self-denying  effort  in  this  path  of  duty,  she  writes : — 

'  Stoke,  Jan.  2,  1827. 

'  My  dear ,  "  freely  we  have  received,  freely  let  us  give."' 

If  it  does  take  up  half  a  day  once  or  twice  a  month  to  go  to , 

surely  God,  who  gave  all  your  days,  has  a  right  to  expect  you  should 
spend  them  in  whatever  service  he  will  put  upon  you  ;  and  by 
making  these  individuals  your  near  relations,  he  has  given  them  a 
claim  upon  you.  Jesus  made  himself  as  our  brother,  that  sucked 
the  breasts  of  our  mother,  on  purpose  to  give  us  an  everlasting 
claim  to  all  that  he  can  do  for  us  ;  and  surely  those  whom  he  has 
given  us  as  near  relations,  have  for  his  sake  a  claim  upon  all  that 
we  can  do  for  them.  The  more  unpleasant  the  task,  the  more  con- 
trary to  flesh  and  blood,  the  more  reason  we  have  to  hope  that  we 
are  not  following  our  own  fancy,  nor  working  to  please  ourselves, 
but  really  following  the  example  of  Jesus,  who  "  came  not  to  do  his 
own  will."2  At  the  same  time,  if  after  jirayer,  you  really  do  not 
feel  called  upon  to  do  something  for  them,  and  that  speedily  and 
perseveringly  ;  and  if  you  do  not  think  you  are  guilty  of  great  un- 
faithfulness and  selfishness  in  neglecting  it,  I  will  not  mention  the 
subject  again  to  you  ;  for  I  am  persuaded  you  will  be  taught  of 
God,  and  faith  will  be  given  you,  if  the  Lord  intends  to  make  use 
of  you  to  do  them  good.  My  great  desire  is,  that  we  may  be 
always  faithful  to  one  another,  "provoking  one  another  to  good 
works." ' 

In  another  letter  to  the  same  correspondent,  she  throws  out  a 
valuable  hint  of  encouragement  relative  to  a  difficulty,  which  is 
often  painfully  felt  in  this  course  of  obligation. 

'  I  often  think,  dear ,  that  if  we  could  feel  and  carry  in  our 

memory  those  encouraging  words  of  our  Saviour,  "  It  is  not  ye  that 
speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father,  which  speaketh  in  you,"^ — 
we  should  no  longer  suffer  false  shame  to  hinder  us  from  earnestly 
pressing  the  subject  of  the  Gospel  upon  those  who  are  dear  to  us. 
May  not  we,  as  well  as  the  inspired  apostles,  hope  for  the  indwelling 
guidance  of  that  Spirit,  who  shall  strengthen  us  in  all  utterance 
and  in  knowledge  T 

One  main  feature  of  her  intellectual  character  was  the  ardor, 
steadiness,  and  concentration  of  mind,  with  wliich  she  pursued  every 

1  Matt.  X.  8. 

2  John  vi.  38.  Compare  Romans  xv.  3— the  example  of  the  only  beinw  in  the  uni- 
verse, who  had  a  right  to  please  Himself,  and  yet  who,  in  relinquishing  this  right,  ex- 
hibits Himself  as  our  Pattern  no  less  than  our  Sacrifice. 

3  Matthew  x.  20. 


168  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

object  of  interest.  This  indeed  distinguished  her  earhest  and  most 
unbended  iiabits.  Her  youthful  games  were  marked  with  tliesame 
intensity  of  feehng,  which  she  subsequently  applied  to  her  more 
important  objects.  She  engaged  in  games  of  imagination,  as  one 
of  her  companions  remarks,  with  all  the  earnestness  of  reality,  and 
acted  a  fictitious  character  with  an  expression,  that  proved  her  to  be 
totally  absorbed  in  it.  Thus  it  was  with  reading  or  with  work. 
No  elforts  or  entreaties  could  avail  to  divert  her  mind  from  the 
object  which  was  then  engaging  her  attention,  to  any  other  employ- 
ment or  recreation.  In  the  occupations  of  after-hfe,  whether  it  was 
nmsic,  the  languages,  mathematics,  or  chemistry,  it  was  still  the 
same  warmth  and  fixedness  of  mind.  The  early  dawn  not  unfre- 
quently  found  her  (after  she  had  girded  on  her  Christian  armor) 
deeply  engaged  in  her  studies.  The  spirit  and  result  of  her  inves- 
tigations often  entered  into  her  common  conversation,  wherever  she 
met  with  a  kindred  mind — not  however  in  any  display  of  pedantry, 
(than  which  nothing  was  more  removed  from  her  temper,)  but  in 
the  natural  flow  of  her  spirits,  and  with  a  lively  endeavor  to  com- 
municate a  reciprocal  interest.  The  simplicity  and  elastic  spring  of 
her  mind  was  also  remarkably  illustrated  in  her  peculiar  faculty  of 
drawing  out  the  mental  resources  of  those  with  whom  she  conversed ; 
so  that,  though  they  could  not  but  be  sensible  of  her  great  superi- 
ority, yet  they  appeared  to  themselves  often  to  possess  a  greater 
strength  of  mind,  and  variety  of  conception,  than  they  had  before 
been  conscious  of  Perhaps  however  the  completeness  of  her  intel- 
lectual character  appeared  in  the  well-regulated  application  of  her 
mental  powers.  To  subjects  of  taste — such  as  music  and  poetry — 
she  brought  a  glow  of  feehng  and  of  imagination,  that  quickens  the 
pulse  of  her  readers,  and  plays  upon  the  passions  with  an  irresistible 
charm.  On  the  other  hand,  matters  of  a  graver  cast,  such  as  the 
highly  valuable  discussions  of  her  mathematical  manuscript,  are 
drawn  out  with  the  sober  accuracy  of  a  reflecting  and  discriminating 
judgment.  The  illustrations  that  have  been  given  of  her  musical 
excitement  might  almost  lead  us  to  suppose  that  this  was  the 
atmosphere  in  which  she  lived,  and  that  she  could  breathe  in  no 
other ;  yet  was  this  fervid  enthusiasm  disciplined  by  the  apprehen- 
sion of  the  preponderance  of  this  indulgent  taste  above  more  solid 
pursuits.^  Thus  was  her  fine  imagination  furnished  with  a  pro- 
portionate counterpoise  in  the  master-principle  of  her  ever  active 
mind. 

As  to  her  Christian  character — this  highest  style  of  man — that 
energy  of  feeling  and  industry  of  habit  which  gave  the  impulse  to 
her  intellectual  studies,  no  less  strongly  marked  the  temperament 
of  her  religion.  Thougli  she  liad  a  clear  perception  that  the  bless- 
ing she  sought  was  a  free  gift,  yet  she  expected  the  attainment  of  it, 
like  that  of  every  important  object  of  pursuit,  only  in  the  constant 
use  of  the  appointed  means.     She  was  therefore  led  to  cherish  the 

'  See  pp.  40,  135. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  169 

principles  of  her  Christian  profession,  in  a  spirit  of  earnest  and 
prayerful  searching  of  the  Scriptures  ;  and  thus  was  she  enabled  to 
exhibit  the  graces  of  the  Gospel  in  lovely  combination  and  practical 
exercise. 

In  giving,  however,  a  detailed  sketch  of  Miss  Graham's  spiritual 
character,  we  would  premise,  that  it  was  marked  by  that  variation 
of  feeling,  which  is  so  often  alluded  to  in  her  correspondence,'  and 
which,  though  common  to  all  cases  of  Christian  experience,  her 
remarkable  elevation  of  spirituality  rendered  more  visible  than  in 
most  other  cases.  The  ditference  of  her  feelings  was  often  discerni- 
ble in  her  countenance.  On  some  seasons  it  was  irradiated  with  a 
peculiar  expression  of  heavenly  feature.  She  was  manifestly  filled 
with  the  love  of  God,  and  "  out  of  the  abundance  of  her  heart  her 
mouth  would  speak."  At  other  times  it  was  with  dithcully  that 
she  could  be  induced  to  converse  upon  religious  subjects  ;  and  she 
would  turn  from  tliem  to  enter  upon  topics  exclusively  intellectual. 
But  this  view  of  her  character  cannot  better  be  described  than  in  the 
language  of  her  most  intimate  and  confidential  friend. 

'  I  did  not  notice  any  infirmity  in  her  Christian  character,  except 
the  one  she  herself  often  mentions — inequality.  The  difiference  in 
spiritual  feeling  was  more  visible  in  her  than  in  any  other  Christian 
I  have  known.  When  in  a  state  of  warm  feeling,  she  was  more 
entirely  engrossed  by  the  subject  than  any  one  I  ever  met  with. 
Nothing  else  could  interest  her.  When  her  mind  was  less  under' 
the  influence  of  heavenly  things,  the  difference  was  obvious.  I  do 
not  mean  by  her  giving  way  to  any  sinful  temper  or  feeling,  but  by 
her  conversing  with  pleasure  and  interest  upon  merely  earthly 
things.  Nor  do  I  think  that  at  these  times  she  sunk  much,  if  at 
all,  below  the  usual  standard.  Ordinarily  she  rose,  I  should  think, 
above  it.'  . 

The  general  tone,  however,  of  her  habit,  both  contemplative  and 
active,  manifested  the  habitual  operation  of  a  high  measure  of  Divine 
influence  ;  while  her  occasional  depressions  seem  not  to  have  sunk 
her  below  the  ordinary  level,  and  were  doubtless  connected  with 
those  exercises  of  humiliation  described  in  her  correspondence, 
which  will  find  their  response  in  the  hearts  of  many  of  her  readers. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  chief  object  of  this  work,  a  detailed  devel- 
opment of  the  most  prominent  feature  of  Miss  Graham's  Christian 
character. 

In  a  compassionate  concern  for  the  unconverted.,  she  had  deeply 
imbibed  the  spirit  of  her  beloved  Master.  '  I  see,'  as  she  writes  to  a 
friend, '  more  need  than  ever  to  pray,  not  only  for  the  souls  of  others, 
but  for  a  spirit  of  love  to  souls,  and  for  a  sense  of  their  inestimable 
value.'  She  had  diligently  improved  the  opportunities  of  her  health, 
in  pleading  with  the  careless  and  unbelieving,  and  in  every  exercise 
of  tender  anxiety  on  their  behalf.  In  the  chamber  of  pain  and 
sickness,  their  awful  condition  intensely  occupied  her  mind  ;  and  the 

>  See  her  letter,  p.  109. 


170  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

long  and  "wearisome  nights  appointed"  her,  were  oftea  engaged  in 
intercession  for  their  souls. 

-  When  first  I  visited  her — observed  the  dear  brother,  who  was 
the  privileged  attendant  upon  her  sick  bed — •  hearing  of  a  poor 
woman  in  a  dangerous  state,  and  unconcerned  about  her  eternal 
interests,  she  eagerly  inquired  of  me  respecting  her  soul,  and  begged 
me  most  earnestly  to  pray  for  her.  She  spoke  with  a  peculiar  in- 
terest, as  if  she  felt  what  'it  was  for  a  soul  to  be  lost.'  Indeed  her 
minister  expresses  himself  to  have  been  continually  struck  with  her 
deep  tone  of  anxiety  on  the  state  of  the  parish.  If  she  heard  of 
any  that  were  awakened  from  a  fearful  state  of  stupidity  and  death, 
it  was  always  with  the  most  lively  expressions  of  delight.  Often 
was  she  known  to  shed  tears  of  joy  upon  any  symptom  of  hope  and 
encouragement  respecting  them  that  were  brought  before  her.  She 
felt  the  responsibihty  of  every  opportunity  of  addressing  her  fellow- 
sinners,  whether  rich  or  poor,  upon  the  immensely  momentous  con- 
cerns of  eternity ;  and  when  unable  to  seek  after  them,  she  longed 
to  brinfir  them  into  her  sick  room,  within  the  reach  of  her  solemn 
and  affectionate  exhortations ;  though  a  restless  night  was  the  ex- 
pected result  of  this  ardent  excitement.  It  was  her  great  desire  to 
brincr  her  whole  family,  all  her  friends  and  neighbors,  to  Christ  and 
to  heaven  v-ith  her.  '  Though  suffering  under  excruciating  pain, 
and  her  -soul  breaking  out  with  longing  desires"  for  a  sight  of 
Christ  in  his  glory  :  yet,  when  speaking  of  the  perishing  state  of 
sinners,  she  would  say — 'Oh!  I  would  gladly  live  a  hundred  years, 
if  I  might  be  the  means  of  saving  one  soul'  Shortly  before  her 
death,  when  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion,  she  begged  her  minister 
to  pray  for  an  infidel,  who  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  her  -Test 
of  Truth,'  as  it  passed  through  the  press — '  Weak  as  the  work  is' — 
she  said  in  her  deep  humility — •  it  may  prove  a  blessing  to  his  soul.' 

A  few  extracts  from  her  con-espondence  will  atibrd  striking  illus- 
tration of  the  deep  feeling  of  her  Christian  responsibility  and  love. 
The  first  letter  relates  to  an  unhappy  female,  who  had  been  brought 
under  her  notice.  Being  unable  personally  to  attend  to  her  case, 
she  thus  warmly  enforces  it  upon  her  friend,  who  was,  jointly  with 
herself,  interested  in  it. 

'  Dec.  IS,  1S27. 
'  My  chief  reason  for  writing  to-day  is,  tliat  this  poor  wretched 
girl  dwells  upon  my  mind.  You  make  good  reflections,  but  these 
very  reflections  ought  to  lead  us  to  do  something  for  her.  She 
must  be  very  young;  and  if  we  do  not  make  an  effort  to  save  her 
from  destruction,  I  think  that  we  shall  indeed  have  much  to  an- 
swer for.  Her  not  belonging  to  us,  ought  to  be  no  excuse  for  our 
not  concerning  ourselves  about  her.  For  does  she  not  belong  to  the 
large  family  of  lost  sinners,  to  which  we  once  belonged  ?  And  mav 
we^not  be  the  means  of  removing  her  thence  into  the  family  of 
saved  sinners,  of  which  God's  mercy  has  made  us  members  J  I 
cannot  rest  till  something  is  tried.     So  young,  and  so  brought  up. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  ,      171 

what  better  could  be  expected  from  her  ?  What  should  we  have 
been  under  her  disadvantages  ?  I  tremble  even  to  think  of  it ;  and 
for  very  thankfulness  we  ought  to  leave  nothing  untried  to  save  her. 
She  has  been  also  brought  under  our  notice  by  a  peculiar  provi- 
dence, which  is,  I  think,  a  call  to  the  work.' 

To  this  wretched  object  of  distress,  she  addressed  a  letter  full  of 
tender  and  awakening  exhortations.  To  her  great  concern,  how- 
ever, this  messenger  of  mercy  never  reached  the  hands  of  her  for 
whom  it  was  intended,  and  who  was  soon  afterwards  transported. 
Shortly  afterwards  she  again  stimulates  her  friend  to  this  work  of 
love,  with  the  solemn  impulse  connected  with  the  concerns  of  a 
never-dying  soul. 

'  Jan.  11,  1828. 

'  I  beseech  you  to  reflect,  that  on  one  hand  this  girl  may  be  a 
subject  of  regret  to  you  upon  your  bed  of  death.  On  the  other 
hand,  she  may  be  to  you  a  "crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Jesus." ' 

The  fervor  that  pervades  the  following  letter  is  deeply  affecting. 

•  March  18,  1828. 
'  But  why  should  I  say  I  have  nothing  to  write  about  ?  I  am 
really  ashamed  of  the  folly  of  the  last  sentence,  and  of  the  frivo- 
lous temper  which  dictated  it.  Yes,  my  dear  friend,  if  we  love  the 
Lord  Jesus,  we  have  always  a  subject  of  the  deepest  interest — 
enough  to  employ  our  tongue  and  our  pen,  both  morning,  noon,  and 
night.  I  would  fain  make  him  the  subject  of  our  communication 
here,  as  I  trust  he  will  be  the  theme  of  our  songs  and  praises  in 
heaven;  and  firmly  believing,  as  I  do,  that  there  is  neither  praise 
nor  lasting  joy  for  those  who  place  their  happiness  in  anything 
short  of  loving  him  ;  can  I  do  otherwise  than  tell  you  how  very 
earnestly  I  wish  that  you  may  be  led  by  his  grace  to  make  him  your 

all  in  all?     May  his  Holy  Spirit  lead  us,  my  dear  M ;  for.  in 

short,  all  are  sinners,  by  nature  as  well  as  by  practice,  altogether 
alienated  from  God,  to  whom  we  can  only  be  "  made  nigh  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus."'  Do  not  let  us  deceive  ourselves  in  so  important  a 
subject.  If  we  are  walking  in  the  same  way  with  the  world  around 
us,  we  are  not  walking  in  the  narrow  way  which  leads  to  life  ;  nor 
can  we  be  the  followers  of  that  Saviour,  "who  gave  himself  for  us, 
that  He  might  deliver  us  from  this  evil  world."^  There  is  a  peace 
which  the  world  knoweth  not  of,  and  a  joy,  in  which  all  its  boasted 
pleasures  are  but  vanity.  This  is  the  peace  and  joy  which  I  would 
entreat  you  to  seek  after.  But  you  will  say  to  me,  '  Why  do  you 
recommend  it?  and  why  are  you  so  uncharitable  as  to  suppose  I  do 
not  possess  it  already  ?  It  is  because  I  know  what  a  great  and  en- 
tire change  it  requires  in  the  whole  heart  and  character.  I  am  sen- 
sible that  such  is  the  utter  sinfulness  of  my  own  heart,  that  nothing 

»  Eph.  u.  13.  2  Gal.  i.  4. 


172       .  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

but  a  divine  influence  could  have  led  me  to  see  anything  in  Christ 
crucified  that  was  worth  giving  up  all  the  world  for.  And  may  not 
the  same  Divine  power  snatch  you  as  a  brand  from  the  burning, 
and  lead  you  to  the  cross  of  Jesus  for  pardon  and  salvation?  This 
is  the  hope  that  induces  me  to  venture  upon  writing  to  you  so 
freely  ;  and  the  very  aftectionate  interest  I  feel  in  everything  relat- 
ing to  you  must  plead  my  excuse,  if,  when  I  speak  of  a  thing  on 
which  your  eternity  depends,  I  speak  in  the  strong  language  which 
my  anxiety  suggests  to  me.' 

Some  misconception  of  her  correspondent  gave  rise  to  the  next 
letter. 

'  Your  letter  occasioned  me   much  pain,  and,  1  will  add,   per- 
plexity.    I  could  not  conceive  from  what  part  of  mine  you  had  dis- 
covered that  I  thought  holiness  unnecessary  to  a  Christian.     My 
dear  friend,  I  know  (for  God  has  said)  that  "without  holiness  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord :"'  but  I  know  (for  God  has  said  it  too), 
that  we  cannot  be  holy  of  ourselves  :  "  we  are  not  sufficient  of  our- 
selves to  think  anything  as  of  ourselves  ;"  and,  "  vt'ithout  me,"  saith 
Christ,  "  ye  can  do  nothing."^     As  this  is  not  a  matter  of  little  im- 
portance, but  one  of  hfe  and  death,  let  n>e  most  earnestly  and  af- 
fectionately entreat  you  to  make  it  the  subject  of  unceasing  prayer. 
"  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all 
men  liberally."    "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  have."*    The  Scripture  abounds 
with  promises  to  those  who  make  it  the  business  of  their  lives  to 
seek  God.     Allow  me  to  mention  one  more,  which  always  fills  my 
mind  with  comfort  and  peace  : — "  Then  shall  ye  call  upon  me,  and 
ye  shall  go  and  pray  unto  me,  and  I  will  hearken  unto  you.     And 
ye  shall  seek  me,  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for  me  with 
all  your,  hearth*    I  have  mentioned  this  way  of  prayer  to  you,  be- 
cause I  believe  we  might  write  about  these  things  forever,  without 
coming  nearer  to  the  truth.     Prayer  is  the  way  of  God's  appoint- 
ment ;  and  I  never  knew  anyone  who  really  prayed  earnestly  and 
per  sever  ingly  for  Divine  teaching,  that  was  not  brought  at  length 
heartily  to  subscribe  to  what  are  called  evangelical  doctrines.     The 
Scriptures  take  away  all  hope  of  our  understanding  these  things  of 
ourselves,  when  they  tell  us  that  the  "  natural  man  receiveth  not 
the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him.''^ 
Foolish  indeed  does  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  appear  to  the  heart  un- 
taught by  the  Spirit  of  God ;  but  let  the  heart  be  once  taught  to 
receive  it,  and  it  beholds  in  it  "  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God ;" 
and  a  person  thus  taught  wnll  feel  constrained  to  make  it  his  great 
desire,  endeavor,  and  prayer  that  others  may  learn  it  too.     There- 
fore if  I  could  write  volumes  to  you,  the  little  word  "  pray"  should 
be  the  burden  of  them  all.    By  prayer  I  do  not  mean  the  cold  thing 
which  worldly  people  call  prayer ;   1  mean  such  an  effort  as  a  man 

1  Hebrews  xii.  14.  «  2  Cor.  iii.  5.     John  xv.  5.  ^  James  i.  5      Matt.  vii.  7- 

«  Jer.  xxix.  12,  13.  s  i  Cor.  ii.  14. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  173 

dying  with  hunger  would  use  to  beg  for  food  ;  I  mean  begging  as 
for  one's  life,  being  able  to  say,  as  David  did,  '•  There  is  nothing  in 

heaven  or  in  earth  that  I  desire  beside  thee."'     Dear  ,  I  feel 

that  1  have  spoken  to  you  with  great  freedom  and  plainness  :  I  can- 
not help  it.  If  I  saw  a  friend  on  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  I  would 
try  to  pull  her  away  from  it.  I  know  that  all  who  trust  in  any- 
thing but  Christ  for  pardon  and  salvation  are  on  the  brink  of  eter- 
nal destruction  ;  and  can  I  rest  when  any  whom  I  love  are  in  this 
state?  I  know,  too,  that  unless  God  is  pleased  to  bless  what  I  have 
said,  you  will  only  think  me  a  fool  for  my  pains  ;  but  this  is  of  lil- 
tle  consequence.  Before  another  letter  can  pass  between  us,  one 
or  both  of  us  may  have  entered  into  eternity,  when  every  man's 
foundation  that  he  trusted  in  will  be  tried  :  and  it  will  be  seen 
how  miserably  mistaken  are  those  who  build  upon  the  sand,  upon 
their  own  imperfect  righteousness  :  while  those  alone  who  built 
upon  the  Rock  of  Ages  will  be  safe.  May  you  be  one  of  those  ! 
may  you  flee  for  refuge  to  Christ  Jesus  !  trust  him  for  everything, 
follow  him  in  everything;  take  him  alone  for  your  guide  and 
teacher,  and  cease  to  "  lean  unto  your  own  understanding."  ' 

The  next  letter  contains  a  faithful  and  affectionate  appeal  made 
to  a  beloved  relative  under  affliction.  It  cannot  fail  of  interesting 
the  reader,  as  a  specimen  of  that  natural  affection,  which  we  have 
before  noticed^  under  the  constraining  influence  of  the  principles  of 
the  Gospel. 

« Nov.  26,  1829. 
*How  very  sorry  your  letter  has  made  us  !     I  can  conceive  noth- 
ing more  heart-breaking,  than  the  situation  you  are  now  all  in. 
I  entreat  you  most  earnestly,  my  dearest  ,  to  seek  comfort  in 

earnest  prayer,  for  your  dear  afflicted ,  and  to  try,  by  every 

means  in  your  power,  to  lead  him  to  the  same  source  of  comfort.  I 
know  he  cannot  now  bear  to  have  much  said  to  him  ;  but  a  verse 
occasionaly  read  to  him,  or  a  short  and  affectionate  prayer  offered 
up  with  him,  might  be  blessed  by  our  merciful  God  to  his  eternal 
good.  I  will  endeavor  to  join  my  prayers  with  yours;  if  it  should 
please  God  to  lead  him  to  the  source  of  all  peace,  you  may  one  day 
look  back  with  joy  upon  this  affliction.  May  it  lead  you  all  to  flee 
more  earnestly  for  refuge  to  the  hope  that  is  set  before  you !     Tell 

my  dear ,  with  my  most  affectionate  love,  that  I  beseech  him 

to  think  of,  and  to  pray  over  these  words — "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye 
that  are  loeary  arid  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  restP^ 
Surely  he  may  look  upon  this  invitation  as  peculiarly  addressed  to 
himself    If  ever  there  was  one  weary  and  heavy  laden  in  mind  and 

body,  it  is .     O  let  me  implore  him  to  accept  the  offer  which 

infinite  mercy  holds  out  to  him  :  let  him  cast  his  weary  soul  upon 
the  love  of  Jesus  ;  let  him  take  all  his  sins  and  sorrows,  and  spread 
them  at  the  feet  of  one  who  is  xoilling  to  forgive,  mighty  to  save,  a 

'  Psalm  Ixxiii.  25.  2  Page  146.  ^  Matthew  xi.  28. 


174  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

present  help  in  every  time  of  trouble,  to  every  one  ivithout  excep- 
tion^ who  is  willing  to  be  forgiven,  helped,  saved,  and  abundantly 
comforted  with  the  comfort  which  springs  from  his  love,  and  which 
is,  like  himself,  infinite  and  eternal. 

O  my  dear ,  with  whom  I  have  enjoyed  so  many  happy 

hours,  which  will  never  fade  from  my  memory ;  from  whom  I  have 
received  such  repeated  acts  of  kindness  ;  and  whom  I  love  more  as 
a  parent  than  any  other  relation,  suffer  me  to  speak  very  earnestly 
to  you ;  and  take  my  words,  I  entreat  you,  as  kindly  and  affec- 
tionately as  they  are  meant.  I  cannot  but  long  and  pray,  tliat  you 
may  "  be  comforted  with  the  consolation,  wherewith  I  myself  have 

been  comforted  of  God."     I  have  tried  it,  dearest :  and  I  have 

tried  the  comfort  which  the  world  has  to  give ;  and  I  have  found  the 
one  deep,  and  satisfactory,  and  lasting,  and  the  other  vain,  and 
empty,  and  transitory.  You  are,  as  I  am,  a  sinner,  a  miserable 
sinner  ;  and  unless  you  flee  to  Jesus  for  refuge,  you  cannot  escape 
the  wrath  of  God,  which  is  revealed  against  all  sin.  You  have 
lived  in  the  neglect  of  these  things,  and  have  cared  too  little  what 
would  become  of  your  soul.  But  is  this  any  reason  for  despair,  or 
even  for  discouragement  ?  Oh  !  no.  Christ  still  invites — nay, 
even  beseeches — you  to  come  to  him  ;  and  tells  you  in  his  word, 
that  he  is  perfectly  willing,  and  perfectly  "  able  to  save  all  that 
come  unto  God  by  him,"  The  greatness  of  our  sins  need  not  pre- 
vent us  ;  for  his  "  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin  :"  he  died  for  sin- 
ners, even  the  chief  of  sinners.  Our  ignorance  need  not  dis- 
hearten us ;  for  he  "  teacheth  sinners  in  the  w\ay,"  O  come  unto 
this  '■'"meek  and  IoidIij,^^  this  strong  and  mighty,  Saviour !  He  is 
too  meek  and  gentle  to  reject,  and  too  strong  and  faithful  to  disap- 
point any  that  come.     Dear ,  my  heart  is  full.     What  can 

I  say  to  induce  you  to  seek  peace  and  happiness  in  the  pardon 
of  your  sins  through  Jesus  Christ  ?  It  is  but  asking  you  to  be  full 
of  happiness  and  joy  ;  for  thus  I  know  it  will  be  with  you,  if  you 
take  the  God  of  all  comfort  for  your  God,  And  do  but  think,  how 
wonderful  and  unspeakable  his  condescension,  in  offering  to  be  our 
God,  and  friend,  and  father ;  "  forever  and  ever,  our  guide  even 
until  death  ;"'  our  "everlasting  portion  and  reward,"  Only  think, 
how  dreadful  that  he  should  be  willing  to  save  us,  and  we  un- 
willing to  give  ourselves  up  to  be  saved  and  blessed  by  him  !  Can 
this  be  your  case  ?  It  must  not — it  must  not  be  so  with  you.  You 
cannot  reject  the  invitations  of  the  Gospel,  and  say  to  God,  who 
beseeches  you  to  be  reconciled  to  him — 'No — I  will  not  be  recon- 
ciled :  I  will  not  pray  to  the  God  of  my  salvation  :'  I  am  sure  the 
thought  strikes  you  with  horror.  You  cannot  rightly  seek  God 
without  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit :  but  you  will  receive  this  aid 
upon  asking;  for  "God  will  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him.^''^  May  he  both  teach  you  to  pray,  and  hear  and  answer 
your  prayer !     May  he  relieve  your  suffering  body,  if  it  be  his  will, 

1  Psalm  xlviii.  14.  «  Luke  xi.  13. 


MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  175 

and  comfort  your  distressed  soul !     Amen  and  Amen. — If  my  dear 

can  bear  thus  much  read  to  hun,  you  will  show  it,  or  read  it 

to  him  ;  and  let  us  both  pray,  that  he  may  know  and  feel  the  joy 
of  being  united  to  Christ.' 

To  another  friend  she  wrote  from  her  sick  bed,  nearly  in  the 
same  strain. 

'  I  lie  here  sometimes,  and  think  what  a  poor  useless  creature  I 
am.  But  if  I  might  be  made  the  happy  means  of  inducing  my 
dear  and  kind  friend  to  cast  himself,  and  all  his  sorrows,  and  sins, 
and  uneasiness,  at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  then  I  should 
think  I  had  indeed  lived  to  some  purpose.  I  have  often  wanted  to 
write  to  you  :  but  the  fear  that  you  would  think  me  unkind  or 
assuming  in  intruding  my  thoughts  upon  you,  has  prevented  me 
But  what  a  foolish  and  wicked  fear  this  was,  when  the  salvation  of 

your  precious  soul  was  in  question  !     Yes,  my  dear ,  I  will 

frankly  own  to  you,  that  the  sickness  of  your  bod}^,  distressing  as  i* 
is  to  me,  afflicts  me  not  half  so  much  as  the  sickness  of  your  soul 
I  greatly  fear  that  you  have  not  yet  found  peace  in  the  pardon  ol 
your  sins  through  Jesus  Christ.  I  write  to  you  as  a  sinner  saved 
by  God's  grace,  to  a  shmer,  whom  the  grace  of  God,  and  that  alone, 
can  save.  I  would  not  be  so  cruelly  heartless  as  to  Hatter  you,  and 
to  say,  "  Peace,  peace,  while  there  is  no  peace." ^  But  I  do  know 
that  there  is  pardon  and  peace  too,  for  every  one,  who  feeling  his 
sins  to  be  many  and  grievous,  flies  to  Jesus  Christ  for  refuge ;  and 
it  is  thus  that  I  conjure  you  to  fly  to  him. 

'  O   my  dear ,  how  long  has  this   gracious   Saviour   been 

knocking  at  the  door  of  your  heart !  By  his  Scriptures,  which  you 
have  read  ;  by  the  sermons  and  religious  books  that  have  come 
into  your  hands,  by  the  secret  strivings  of  his  Spirit  with  your  heart 
and  conscience  ;  by  the  afflictions  wherewith  He  has  afflicted,  and 
still  afflicts  you ;  by  all  these  tilings  he  knocks,  he  sues  for  admis- 
sion. He  will  not  let  you  rest  till  you  open  the  door  :  and  why  ? 
because  he  loves  you  :  he  would  make  you  happy  in  this  world,  and 
happy  forever.  He  would  be  to  you  a  friend,  on  whom  you  might 
safely  lean  :  on  whose  constant  love  you  might  safely  confide  ;  one 
who  would  never  leave  nor  forsake  you ;  never  be  weary  of  nor 
slight  you ;  never  for  one  moment  be  unable  or  unwilling  to  listen 
to  you,  bless  you,  and  relieve  you. 

'Such  a  friend  is  Jesus  Christ  to  all  those  who  fly  to  him  for 
salvation.  May  he  be  your  friend  and  Saviour  forever  !  this  is  the 
sincere  prayer  of,  M.  J.  G.' 

The  tenderness  and  consideration  tvith  which  she  enforced  these 
supremcly-iniportant  subjects  nj)on  her  young  friends,  is  noticed 
by  those  who  were  experimentally  acquainted  with  it.  Her  gentle- 
ness and  self-command  were  often  put  to  the  test  by  the  coldness, 

1  Jeremiah  vi.  14. 


176  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

petulance,  or  dislike  with  which  her  exhortations  were  received. 
But  there  was  no  reproach  or  upbraiding  on  her  part — no  anger  or 
contempt  on  account  of  the  foolish  things  that  were  said  ;  nor  did 
she  ever  show  the  less  interest  in  promoting  amusements  more 
after  the  heart  of  her  companions.  She  was  known  sometimes  to 
weep  in  tenderness,  when  a  fault  was  confessed  to  her — but  never 
at  that  time  to  reprove.  Sometimes  her  humility  and  affectionate 
delicacy  would  rebuke  the  carelessness  of  her  friend,  by  the  acknowl- 
edgment of  her  own  coldness  and  neglect.  Thus  she  would  lead 
her  more  thoughtless  companion  to  unite  with  herself  in  supplication 
for  pardon  and  grace.  So  truly  was  she  "  a  fellow-worker  with  her 
God,"  in  "  drawing  with  the  bands  of  love  !"^ 

Connected  with  this  was  her  tender  and  Christian  faithfulness 
in  giving  reproof,  where  she  considered  it  to  be  needed.  To  a 
beloved  friend,  complaining  to  her  of  a  trial  in  the  unjust  suspicion 
of  a  relative,  she  exclaimed,  '  Oh,  my  dear  friend,  it  is  all  self ; 
examine  yourself;  see  if  that  idol  self  is  not  at  the  bottom  of  all  this 
feeling  of  yours.'  The  result  of  self-inspection  confirmed  this  judg- 
ment. The  following  is  an  instructive  specimen  of  the  mode  and 
spirit,  in  which  this  high  obligation  of  friendship  will  be  most  effec- 
tually discharged.  After  giving  a  shght  sketch  of  some  of  the  lead- 
ing doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  she  brings  them  home  in  a  direct  and 
close  application  to  the  conscience  of  her  friend. 

'And  now,  beloved ,  let  me  tarn  from  every  other  considera- 
tion to  yourself,  and  the  state  of  your  own  mind.     For  you  have 

rightly  judged  that  I  cannot  think  that  the  state  of  your ,  or 

any  otlier  person,  ought  to  have  the  least  influence  in  preventing 
you  from  seeking  the  salvation  of  your  own  soul.  The  question  is 
not,  what  do  others  do  to  be  saved  7  But  "  what  mnst  T  do  to  be 
saved  ?"  You  tell  me  that  I  am  severe.  Indeed  I  would  not 
willingly  be  so.  A  miserable  sinner  myself,  saved  only  by  the  free 
mercy  of  God,  what  right  have  I  to  be  severe  upon  others  ?  But  I 
am  "affectionately  desirous  of  you"  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  therefore, 
as  my  beloved  friend,  I  warn  you.  I  fail  in  my  duty  to  you,  unless 
I  tell  you  the  truth.  It  may  seem  harsh  to  appear  to  have  any 
doubt  of  your  state  ;  but  it  is  kinder  to  lead  you  to  examine  now, 
than  to  leave  you  to  the  bare  possibility  of  finding  yourself  deceived 
when  it  is  too  late.     If  then  what  I  am  now  going  to  say  should 

seem  to  you  more  severe  than  ever,  I  entreat  you,  dearest ,  to 

forgive  me  for  the  sake  of  the  motive  which  impels  me  to  do  so. 
Consider  that  I  am  not  now  speaking  of  any  trifling  thing.  The 
more  I  love  you,  the  more  impossible  I  find  it  to  stand  upon  cer- 
emony, while  I  am  trembling  for  your  soul.  My  fears  then  about 
your  state  are  not  excited  by  what  I  have  heard.  Had  you  become 
a  very  decided  and  devoted  Christian,  I  think  I  should  have  heard 
of  it  from  many  quarters.  In  some  it  would  have  been  noticed  with 
delio-ht ;  in  others,  with  wonder :  in  others,  with  disUke  and  disap- 

1  Hosea  zi.  4. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  177 

probation.  But  my  fears  are  drawn  cliiefly  from  the  querulous  and 
worldly  strain,  in  which  most  of  your  letters  to  me  are  written.  I 
know  that  "  if  you  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  you  are  none  of 
his.'"  This  Spirit  must  be  known  by  its  fruits.  "  And  the  fruits 
of  the  Spirit  are  love,  joy,  peace,  long-svffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekness,  temperanceP'^  Now  I  look  earnestly,  anx- 
ionsli/,  for  some  of  these  fruits.  I  look  for  some  sign  that "  the  love 
of  God  is  shed  al)road  in  your  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
given  to  you."  This  love  would  show  itself  in  love  to  others  ;  in 
love  even  to  your  enemies,  if  you  had  any.  But  I  fear  you  are 
indulging  in  feelings  little  short  of  hatred  to  more  than  one  of  your 
fellow-creatures.  I  fear  that  wrath,  strife,  disputations,  envyings, 
jealousies,  are  too  often  more  predominant  in  your  heart  than  love. 
Again  I  look  for  some  evidence  of  that  "joy  and  peace  in  believing," 
that  "  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  which  form  so  great  a  part 
of  the  "  kingdom  of  God"  within  us.^  Even  mourning  Christians 
must  sometimes  feel  a  little  of  this  in  their  hearts.  But  sure  I  am, 
that  if  "  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding,  did  keep 
your  heart  and  mind  in  Christ  Jesus,"  you  could  not  be  so  much 
fretted  and  discomposed  by  the  petty  discontents,  and  trials,  and 
offences  of  a  world,  whose  frowns  and  whose  smiles  you  would  feel 
to  be  equally  beneath  your  regard.  You  would  remember  that  your 
lot  has  been  chosen  for  you  by  a  wise  and  loving  Father,  and  that 
the  most  vexatious  events  in  it  happen  by  his  permission,  and  for 

your  good.      Whenever  we  feel  inclined  to  murmur,  dear ,  at 

"our  light  afflictions,"  let  us  think  of  those  faithful  servants  of  God, 
who  "  had  trial  of  cruel  mockings,  and  scourgings,  yea,  moreover, 
of  bonds  and  imprisonments ;  who  were  stoned,  were  sawn  asunder, 
were  tempted,  were  slain  with  the  sword,  who  wandered  about  in 
sheep-skins  and  goat-skins,  being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented."^ 
Yet  these  "  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented"  ones,  "  in  patience  posses- 
sed their  souls."  "  The  peace  of  God  kept  their  hearts  and  minds  ;" 
and  shall  it  not  keep  ours,  in  our  comparatively  no-sufferings  1 
Now  if  these  "  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  love,  joy,  peace,"  flourish  in  the 
heart,  they  must  show  themselves  to  be  there :  and  if  the  contrary 
dispositions — -anger,  dissatisfaction,  restlessness,  appear  in  their  stead, 
it  proves  either  that  "  we  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  there- 
fore are  none  of  his;"  or  else  that  we  have  "grieved  that  Holy 
Spirit,"  and  caused  him  for  a  time  to  withdraw  his  sacred  influences. 
In  either  case  we  ought  not  to  rest  till  we  have  sought  and  obtained 
that  "  godly  sorrow"  for  sin,  "  which  worketh  repentance  unto  salva- 
tion not  to  be  repented  of."^  Where  we  may  apply  for  this  repent- 
ance, we  are  told  in  Acts  v.  31.  I  will  go  on  no  longer  in  enumerat- 
ing these  fruits  of  the  Spirit ;  for  my  business  is  not  to  judge  you, 
but  to  lead  you  to  judge  and  examine  yourself.  This  I  earnestly 
entreat  you  to  do,  "  that  you  may  not  be  judged  of  the  Lord."« 

I  Rom.  viii.  9.  2  Gal.  v.  22,  23.  3  Romans  xv.  13 ;  xvi.  17, 

<  Heb.  xi.  3G,  37.  =  2  Cor.  vii.  10,  11.  •        «  1  Cor.  xi.  31. 

12 


178  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

And  should  you  now,  dearest ,  feel  offended  with  me,  it  will 

give  me  the  less  uneasiness — both  because  I  know  you  will  not  in 
the  end  love  me  the  less  for  having  faithfully  discharged  my  con- 
science towards  you  before  I  die  ;  and  because  I  know  that  you 
will  view  it  in  a  very  different  light  at  our  next  meeting,  which 
will,  I  hope  and  trust,  be  around  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb.' 

Her  love  to  her  Saviour  must  have  been  already  prominently 
remarked  by  every  intelligent  reader.  She  lived  much  in  distinct, 
deep,  and  fixed  contemplation  of  him.  Those  parts  of  Scripture 
were  especially  valuable,  that  brought  her  into  closer  contact  with 
the  subject  nearest  her  heart — the  love  of  Christ.  The  book  of 
Canticles  was  therefore  to  her  "  a  garden  of  delights."  Her  pure 
and  spiritual  mind  enabled  her  to  study  this  holy  book  with  the 
liveliest  and  most  profitable  interest.  Many  Christians,  in  an  over- 
scrupulous delicacy  and  unscriptural  taste,  seem  almost  to  have 
proscribed  this  portion  of  the  sacred  canon  from  their  private  medi- 
tation. The  book  indeed  is  an  exposition  of  the  heavenly  privi- 
lege of  communion  with  our  divine  Saviour.  It  can  only  therefore 
be  understood  by  those  who  can  say — •'  Truly  our  fellowship  is 
wilh  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.'"  The  perusal  of 
it  moreover  must  be  admitted  to  require  a  peculiar  abstraction  from 
earthly  things.  But  the  Christian's  heart  under  Divine  teaching 
will  be  a  spiritual  interpreter  of  it ;  and  whenever  it  is  approached 
with  reverence,  simplicity  and  sanctity,  it  will  tend  much  to  the 
enkindUng  of  holy  affections  in  the  endearing  contemplation  of  con- 
descending love^ — in  a  self-abasing  sense  of  backslidings^ — in  a 
heavenly  enjoyment  of  the  presence  of  the  Lord'* — in  commending 
his  person  to  all  around  us' — in  a  panting  desire  for  a  closer  com- 
munion with  him^ — and  in  a  joyous  anticipation  of  his  coming.'' 

But  Miss  Graham's  love  to  her  Saviour  was  not  confined  to 
spiritual  contemplation.  It  was  a  principle  of  incessant  activity, 
directing  her  daily  habit  (to  use  her  own  beautiful  language  to  one 
of  her  correspondents)  to  '  watch  with  the  eye  of  love  every  intima- 
tion of  his  will,  every  leading  of  his  Spirit.'  Such  is  the  difference 
between  speculating  upon  religion,  and  feehng  it — when  the  heart 
has  "  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious" — when  the  man  is  made  "  a 
new  creature" — when  his  eyes  have  been  opened  to  behold  the  beauty 
of  his  Saviour — and  he  is  anxiously  cultivating  every  temper  of  the 
Gospel,  in  which  he  may  live  above  the  world,  and  walk  with  Christ. 

Miss  Graham's  happy  anticipations  of  eternity  were  connected 
with  this  love  to  her  Saviour.  That  which  gave,  in  her  eyes,  em- 
phasis and  perfection  to  eternal  bliss  was — that  it  is  all  Christ — that 
the  "  Lamb  is  the  light"^  of  the  heavenly  city.  Thus  we  find  her 
writing  a  new  year's  congratulation  to  a  dear  friend  in  the  heart- 
stirring  remembrance — that  •'  now  is  our  salvation  nearer  than  when 
we  believed.'" 

>  1  John  i.  3.  •  Cant.  i.  1 — 1.  3  ibid.  v.  2— G. 

*Cant.  ii.  3— 13.  s  ibid.  v.  ix.  16.  fi  Ibid.  viii.  6. 

'  Cant,  verse  14.  *  Rev.  xxi.  23.  ,  »  Rom.  xiii.  11. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  179 

'  Stoke,  Jan.  1,  1827. 

*  This  time  last  year  we  were  together.  Does  it  seem  as  if  a  year 
had  passed  since  then  ?  Another  year  of  sin  on  our  part,  and  of 
mercy,  free  and  uninterrupted,  on  the  part  of  02ir  Jesus  !  There  is 
something  very  sweet  in  the  thought  that  we  are  a  year  nearer  to 
his  bosom  ;  that  every  year  will  pass  as  swiftly  as  the  last,  till  he 
calls  us  to  himself;  and  that  nothing  can  happen  next  year,  or  any 
following  year,  which  can  possibly  separate  us  one  single  moment 
from  his  love.  Perhaps  this  time  next  year  we  may  be  like  him, 
"  seeing  him  as  he  is,"  joining  in  a  song  new  indeed  to  our  tongues, 
becausfft  it  will  be  a  triumphant  song,  and  a  holy  and  an  everlasting 
song.' 

Her  love  of  jyrayer  formed  one  of  the  main  features  of  her 
diaracter.  Every  habit  of  her  mind  appeared  to  flow  in  the  spirit 
and  atmosphere  of  prayer.  The  ylayfiil  exercises  of  her  youth 
were  indulged  in  this  sanctified  temj)era,ment.  When  her  cousin 
visited  her,  the  day  was  usually  commenced  with  a  chapter  from 
her  favorite  Bible,  accompanied  with  prayer,  that  they  might  both 
love  and  serve  Ilim,  of  whom  that  book  testified.  This  service 
jjerformed,  she  instantly  turned  all  the  warmth  and  animation  of 
her  affectionate  temper,  and  all  the  powers  of  her  highly-gifted 
mind,  to  the  amusement  of  her  companion.  AVe  have  already  no- 
ticed the  conyiectio7i  of  this  habit  with  her  intellectual  employ- 
ments, whether  indulging  her  own  gratifications,  or  superintending 
the  instruction  of  her  cousin.'  Hers  was  not  the  unsanctified  study, 
which  is  glitter,  not  gold.  All  was  consecrated  to  the  supreme  ob- 
ject of  life,  and  directed  to  this  object  By  the  constant  influence  of 
that  principle,  which  ennobles  earthly  occupations,  and  stamps  them 
with  a  heavenly  glory.  The  occasional  visits  of  her  young  friends 
found  her  in  the  same  spiritual  habit.  '  Seldom,'  as  one  of  her 
school-feliows  has  recorded,  '  did  1  enter  her  little  room,  but  she 
proposed  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  and  would  pour  out  her  soul  be- 
fore her  God  with  holy  fervor  and  simplicity.'  Her  jniblic  exercises 
of  Christia7i  devotedness  were  conducted  in  the  same  spirit.  When 
engaged  in  the  work  of  Sunday  School  tuition,  she  had  her  set 
limes  of  prayer  with  her  young  cousin,  who  was  at  that  time  asso- 
ciated with  her  (for  themselves,  their  fellow-laborers,  and  their  re- 
sponsible charge) ;  and  frequently  she  would  offer  distinct  and  sep- 
arate supplication  for  each  child  in  their  classes.  Her  respo?isi~ 
bility  as  a  niejnber  of  the  ransomed  family  of  God,  led  her  (as 
we  find  from  a  letter  shortly  to  be  adduced)'^  in  the  true  spirit  of 
sympathy  to  devote  an  hour  every  evening  mainly  to  the  subject 
of  intercessory  prayer.  Besides  these  constant  occasions,  she  set 
apart  special  time  for  secret  dedication  and  co??iniunion  with 
God.  New-year's  day  and  birth-days  were  among  these  privileged 
seasons.  It  was  one  of  her  favorite  plans  to  set  apart  occasionally 
a  certain  time  exclusively  for  prayer  and  scripture  reading ;  and  for 

I  See  page  37.  2  See  page  183. 


180  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

this  purpose  all  her  other  employments  were  removed  from  her 
sight.  Tins  was  lier  preparation  for  any  special  engagement  that 
was  prospectively  before  her  ;  and  this  course  she  recommended  to 
her  friends  with  beneficial  effect.'  Another  custom  of  somewhat 
similar  character  (and  one  that  is  happily  making  advance  through- 
out the  church  in  our  day)  was  to  prevail  upon  her  confidential 
friends  to  set  apart  definite  hours,  when  distant  friends  could  meet 
together  in  one  heart  and  one  soul  at  the  throne  of  their  common 
Lord.  Thus  in  the  most  extensive  meaning  of  the  scriptural  pre- 
cept, she  might  be  said  to  "pray  without  ceasing;"  and,  like  the 
man  after  God's  heart,  "to  give  herself  unto  prayer." 

Love  to  the  ivhole  word  of  God  was  also  a  prominent  feature 
in  her  character.  Indications  of  this  holy  pleasurable  taste  were 
visible  in  her  childhood,  in  the  large  portions  which  she  committed 
to  memory.2  In  an  early  excursion  with  one  of  her  young  friends, 
we  find  her  reproaching  herself  for  the  small  proportion .  of  time, 
which  she  had  consecrated  to  the  study  of  this  precious  volume. 
Whatever  might  be  the  ground  for  this  self-accusation,  it  was  how- 
ever intended  as  a  hint  to  her  less  thoughtful  companion,  and  to  in- 
troduce before  her  a  plan  that  might  be  useful  to  them  both — that 
of  repeating  portions  of  Scripture  to  each  other  when  they  met. 
Thus  she  made  her  own  self-condemnation  the  vehicle  of  instruc- 
tion to  her  friend.  Generally  speaking,  she  read  the  Sacred  Book 
as  a  pleasure,  not  as  a  task.  It  seemed  to  be  her  constant  food  and 
study.  She  did,  indeed,  "  esteem  the  words  of  God's  mouth  more 
than  her  necessary  food.'"=^  They  "  were  found,  and  she  did  eat 
them ;  and  they  were  to  her  as  the  joy  and  rejoicing  of  her  heart."* 
They  were  to  her  what  Melancthon  calls  '  that  sacred  manna  of  the 
soul,  to  which  St.  Paul  alludes,  when  he  speaks  of  spiiitually  dis- 
cerning' the  sacred  pages.  Often  under  protracted  bodily  and  spir- 
itual trials,  the  promises  were  to  her  "  as  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty 
soul ;"  yea,  as  "  life  from  the  dead."  So  eager  was  her  appetite  for 
this  heavenly  manna,  that,  not  satisfied  with  her  own  gathering, 
she  was  always  longing  to  feed  upon  the  fruits  of  the  industry  of 
her  friends.  Thus  in  one  of  her  letters  we  find  her  entreating  her 
confidential  correspondent  to  communicate  to  her  any  additional 
and  interesting  hght,  which  had  been  found  in  the  course  of  her 
scriptural  research.  Even  in  those  seasons  of  special  consecration 
just  alluded  to,  when  she  found  her  mind  indisposed  for  spiritual 
reading,  she  would  still  cleave  exclusively  to  the  Scriptures,  and 
give  up  her  time  and  mind  to  learning  large  portions  of  this  holy 
book.  It  was  her  practice  to  read  through  different  books  of  scrip- 
ture with  a  close  and  persevering  habit  of  meditation  and  prayer, 
always  keeping  in  mind  her  Masters  stimulating  motive  to  the 

I  See  a  reference  to  this  plan  in  her  letter,  p.  47.     In  another  letter  she  again  alluJes 

to  it '  I  have  made  a  proposal  to .     I  wish  her  to  read  a  chapter  in  the  Testament 

every  day,  beginning  with  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew.  I  will  every  day  read  the  same 
chapter,  and  (God  helping  me)  give  some  time  to  pray,  that  every  verse  may  be  explained 
and  blessed  to  her.     I  hope  much  from  this  method. 

I  See  p.  12.  2  Jobxxiii.  13.  3  Jer.  xv.  16. 


MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  181 

search — "  For  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me.'"  Hence  she  was 
dehghted  in  the  course  of  her  study  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  to  have 
Christ  so  mucli  and  so  frequently  brought  before  her  mind  ;-  a  rec- 
ollection of  great  moment  for  the  spiritual  discernment  of  the  divine 
wisdom  treasured  up  iu  tliis  storehouse  of  practical  instruction.  The 
encouraging  promise  held  out  to  diligent  investigators  of  the  sacred 
volume^  on  one  occasion  fixed  her  in  intense  meditation  for  up- 
wards of  two  hours.  She  appeared  to  be  lost  in  astonishment  and 
gratitude  at  the  condescension  and  kindness  of  God,  in  giving  a 
promise  so  rich,  so  free,  so  encouraging.  She  grasped  it,  as  if  de- 
termined not  to  let  it  go.  She  frequently  employed  herself  in  the 
profitable  exercise  of  "  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual  ;"^ 
— Scripture  with  itself;  thus  making  God  his  own  interpreter. 
Much  light  and  heavenly  unction  she  conceived  herself  to  have  ob- 
tained by  this  means,  which  were  manifested  to  others,  uncon- 
sciously to  herself,  in  her  striking  remarks,  and  apt  illustrations  of 
passages  presented  to  her.  The  wholeness  of  her  study  already 
noticed^  is  worthy  of  careful  consideration.  There  was  no  exclu- 
sive regard  or  undue  prominence  given  to  portions  of  the  sacred 
book.  "  All"  was  regarded  as  "  given  by  inspiration  of  God."  and 
therefore  profitable  for  the  specific  purposes  for  which  it  was  written, 
and  which  it  is  the  exercise  of  prayer  and  diligence  to  investigate. 

But  we  will  state  her  admirable  views  of  the  temper  requisite  for 
the  study  of  the  Sacred  Book  in  her  own  words. 

'  We  shall  never' — she  remarks — '  become  perfectly  reconciled  to 
all  parts  of  the  word  of  God,  until  He  himself  bestows  on  us  the 
spirit  and  temper  of  a  little  child,  to  receive,  without  murmuring  or 
disputings  or  carnal  reasonings,  whatsoever  Jehovah  the  Spirit  is 
pleased  to  say  to  us.  That  Spirit  alone  can  take  away  the  evil 
heart  of  unbelief,  which  prevents  us  from  embracing  the  whole 
counsel  of  God  as  revealed  in  his  word.  It  is  he  that  must  open 
our  hearts  to  attend  to  all  the  things  written  in  his  law.  Then 
we  shall  perceive  a  connection  and  a  harmony  between  every  part 
and  every  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,  which  will  fill  us  with  ever- 
increasing  wonder  and  delight.'^ 

Her  child-hke  simplicity  was  the  spirit  of  the  most  profound  rev- 
erence. It  is  most  edifying  to  remark  her  humble  adoring  search 
into  "  the  d^p  things  of  God,"  as  contrasted  with  the  unhallowed 
boldness  witli  which  these  unfathomable  depths  are  too  often  ex- 
plored. After  noticing  objections  to  her  views  of  the  doctrine  of 
election,  she  checks  herself — 

'  But  I  stop  ;  "  he  that  reproveth  God,  let  him  answer  it.'"'  AU 
these  mysteries  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  referring  them  to  the 
inscrutable  mystery  of  God's  predestination.  To  the  eye  of  carnal 
reason  they  lie  involved  in  the  thickest  obscurity  ;  but  the  eye  of 
faith  sees  in  them  no  darkness  at  all.     For  faith,  instead  of  vainly 

1  John  V.  39.  2  See  Chap.  i.  viii.  ix.  &c.  3  Prov.  ii.  1—6. 

i  1  Cor.  ii.  13.  »  See  her  letter,  p.  97.  «  Freeness  of  Grace,  p.  55. 

7  Job.  xi.  2. 


i82  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

Striving  to  pull  these  things  down  to  the  level  of  reason,  soars  far 
above  reason ;  resolves  every  difficulty  into  the  gt^acioiis  will  or 
wise  permission  of  God,  and  seeks  to  know  71q  further.  How 
many  things  are  there  which  I  know  not,  nor  "  can  by"  any 
"  searching  find  out  to  perfection  !"  But  Jesus  knows  them  all. 
With  this  assurance  I  sit  down,  fully  satisfied  He  will  teach  them 
to  me  hereafter,  as  I  am  able  to  bear  it.  In  the  meantime  "  I  will 
trust,  and  not  be  afraid."  All  that  my  God  says  to  me  I  will  im- 
phcitly  believe,  for  I  know  that  "  every  word  of  God  is  pure."  "  All 
the  words  of  his  mouth  are  in  righteousness ;  there  is  nothing 
froward  or  perverse  in  them  :  they  are  all  plain  to  him  (hat  under- 
standeth,  and  right  to  them  that  find  knowledge.'"'  When  I  come 
to  see  God  as  he  is,  and  to  "  know  even  as  also  I  am  known,"  I  shall 
find  that  all  these  mysteries  of  his  word  and  will  were  only  '  dark 
with  excessive  light.'  In  the  meantime,  till  I  have  the  eagle  eye 
that  can  gaze  undazzled  at  his  glories,  I  will  view  them  at  humble 
distance  through  the  glass  of  faith,  which  he  has  given  me  for  this 
purpose ;  nor  will  I  dare  to  repine,  because  I  can  only  see  them  in 
a  glass  darkly.'^  Thus  faith  removes  every  objection,  stills  every 
murmur,  and  silences  every  doubtful  thought.' 

This  "  trembling  at  God's  word,"  is  the  spirit  which  our  Lord 
"  delighteth  to  honor"^  with  special  manifestations  of  his  favor. 
"  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  tliat  fear  him ;  and  he  will 
show  them  his  covenant."^  This  temper  will  stimulate  to  an 
earnest  and  diligent  search ;  while  it  will  repress  a  presumptuous 
intrusion.  It  will  lead  to  the  reception  of  every  truth  upon  this 
formal  reason — that  it  is  the  word  of  God.  Every  truth,  though 
it  should  not  be  considered  of  equal  importance,  must  be  regarded 
with  equal  reverence  ;  never  forgetting  that  God  is  the  Author  of 
every  particle  of  revelation.  Therefore  to  reject  any  one  'jot  or 
tittle  of  it' — as  Dr.  Owen  has  excellently  observed,  '  is  a  sufficient 
demonstration,  that  no  one  jot  or  tittle  of"  it  is  received  as  it  ought. 
Upon  whatever  this  title  and  inscription  is — '  The  Word  of  Je- 
hovah"— there  must  we  stoop,  and  bow  down  our  souls  before  it, 
and  captivate  our  understandings  to  the  obedience  of  faith. '= 

Her  love  for  the  ordinances  of  God  is  worthy  of  special  remark. 
And  this  inded  is  the  pulse  of  the  soul — not  attendance  on  them, 
but  delight  in  them — fellowship  with  the  panting  desires  of  the 
holy  Psalmist,  when  he  envied  even  the  birds  who  mhabited  the 
pinnacles  of  the  temple,  and  the  priests  who  were  always  employed 
in  its  service  ;  and  for  himself  counted  "  a  day  spent  in  God's  courts 
better  than  a. thousand"  spent  elsewhere.^  The  house  of  God  had 
been  to  her  in  the  time  of  healtii  "  the  gate  of  heaven.'"^  In  her 
time  of  affliction,  ministers  and  ordinances  were  to  her  "  wells  of 
salvation,"  from  vi^hence  she  "drew  water  with  joy."'^  "  Beautiful" 
in  her  eyes  '•  were  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that 

'  Prov.  XXX.  5;  viii.  8,  9.         *  i  Cor.  xiii.  IC.  3  Isaiah  Ixvi.  2. 

*  Psalm  XXV.  14.  s  Owen  on  Perseverance,  chap.  x.      ^  p^alm  Ixxxiv. 

'  Gen.  xxviii.  17.  ^  Isaiah  xii.  3. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  183 

publisheth  peace."'  She  loved  the  messengers  of  the  Gospel  "for 
their  work's  sake,"^  and  for  their  Master's  sake.^  She  always  ex- 
pressed the  deepest  anxiety  to  receive  through  them  "  a  message 
from  God"  to  her  soul.  '  Pray  before^  as  well  as  after,  your  visit,^ 
was  her  solemn  entreaty  to  her  beloved  minister. 

We  must  not  forget  to  mention  her  "  love  to  the  brethreti'^ — that 
conscious  and  unequivocal  mark  of  a  transition  "  from  death  unto 
Hfe."^  She  longed  to  see,  converse,  and  enjoy  fellowship  with  all 
who  bore  the  image  of  her  Lord ;  and  whether  absent  or  present, 
shs  seemed  to  hold  communion  with  them.  Speaking  of  an  ab- 
sent friend,  wlio  appeared  to  enjoy  a  deep  sense  of  '  the  love  of  God 
upon  her  heart.'  she  said,  '  I  long  to  see  her,  that  she  may  impart 
to  me  some  spiritual  gift.'  On  this  subject  she  appears  to  have 
been  drawn  out  with  remarkable  warmth  and  liveliness  of  Chris- 
tian feeling  in  her  correspondence  with  her  friends.  To  one  of 
them  she  wrote  thus — '  It  is  a  great  honor  for  us,  who  have  been 
made  partakers  of  the  tempter's  work,  to  be  made  partakers  of  the 
Saviour's — for  us,  who  have  been  made  a  curse,  to  be  made  a 
blessing.  But  when  I  write  to  you  in  this  way,  it  is  not  so  much 
because  I  feel  it,  as  because  I  want  to  feel  it,  and  desire  to  be  made 
the  instrument  of  "  stirring  up  this  gift  of  God  in  you."  ' 

What  reader  but  must  long  to  imbibe  the  blessed  spirit  of  the 
two  following  letters  ? 

'  April  9,  1827. 
'I  entreat  you  to  think  more  of  the  privilege  of  intercession,  and 
to  make  more  use  of  it  than  ever.  I  find  an  indescribable  delight  in 
using  these  words,  "Our  Father,"  and  in  praising,  confessing,  and 
praying  for  myself  as  one  of  this  large  family — in  praying  for  my- 
self as  one  of  them,  and  in  feeling  their  joys  and  sorrows  as  my 
own.  And  indeed  if  we  wish  above  all  things  that  the  name  of 
Jesus  be  glorified,  is  it  not  glorified  in  the  spirituality  of  others  as 
much  as  in  our  own  ?  And  if  we  wish  to  be  one  with  Jesus, 
should  we  not  be  also  one  with  his  elect?  Tell  me  your  difficulties 
and  necessities,  that  I  may  present  them  to  Jesus  with  my  own.  I 
do  not  say  this,  because  I  think  that  I  have  the  strength  to  do  it. 
But  Jesus,  our  God  and  our  Lord  (who  is  with  me  whilst  I  write, 
and  who  will  be  with  you  whilst  you  read  this  letter)  has  said  to 
you  and  to  me,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  you."  '  O  Lord  Jesus ! 
see  what  I  have  written,  and  show  that  I  do  not  expect  too  much 
from  thee.  Cause  every  affection  of  ours  to  be  absorbed  in  thee  ; 
and  may  all  thy  sheep  love  thee  above  all,  and  love  one  another  as 
thou  hast  loved  them  !'  Say — Amen  to  this  prayer.  And  if  you 
wish  to  know  what  to  ask  for  me,  ask  that  a  spirit  of  perfect  love. 
*'  which  seeketh  not  her  own,"  may  be  given  me.' 

>  Isaiah,  lii.  7.  2  i  Thess.  v.  13.  3  Luke  x.  IG. 

*  1  John  iii.  14. 


l'§^  MEMOIR    OP    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

Again,  about  a  month  after,  to  the  same — 

•  31ai/  5,  1827. 
'  I  beseech  you  to  seek  earnestly  "  the  communion  of  saints." 
This  is  the  only  progress  I  have  made  in  the  Divine  hfe.  L  have 
received  as  a  most  precious  and  unmerited  gift  the  power  of  feeling 
the  things  of  the  Hock  of  Christ  as  if  they  were  my  own.  You 
cannot  imagine  the  happiness  of  this  feeling.  The  means  through 
which  the  Father  has  given  it  to  me,  has  been  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
I  dedicate  (not  always,  because  I  am  so  hght  and  unstable,  but 
generally)  an  hour  every  evening  to  prayer,  and  principally  to 
intercession.  I  generally  begin  with  the  thanks  due  to  God,  for 
having  made  himself  known  to  us  as  our  Father,  for  all  that  he  has 
done  for  every  one  of  his  sheep  on  that  day.  It  is  impossible  for  me 
to  tell  you  the  great  delight  of  thus  mixing  myself  up  with  the  peo- 
ple of  Christ,  and  of  considering  their  benefits  as  my  own.  The 
thought  which  transports  me  the  most,  is  that  of  how  many  souls 
have  been  perhaps  this  day  joined  to  the  church  !  how  many  suc- 
cored under  temptation  !  how  many  recovered  from  their  back- 
slidings  !  how  many  filled  with  consolation  !  how  many  transported 
by  death  into  the  bosom  of  Christ!  It  delights  me  much  also  to 
consider,  that  all  the  elect,  who  are  not  yet  converted,  have  been 
and  will  be  preserved  till  they  are  called  by  the  Divine  Spirit.  I 
then  try  to  pray  for  that  sweet  "we,"  and  to  think  of  the  necessities 
of  my  Christian  friends.  Besides,  I  have  a  hst  of  unconverted  per- 
f^ons  for  whom  I  wish  to  pray.  I  do  entreat  you  to  study  with  prayer 
the  thirteenth  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians.  I  am  most  anxious  that 
you  should  enjoy  this  happiness ;  and  if  you  ask,  you  will  do  so.' 

In  the  next  letter  we  find  her  mind  exercised  upon  this  interest- 
ing subject. 

'  It  seemed  to  me  when  I  last  wrote  to  you,  that  the  law  of  love 
to  the  brethren  was  engraven  on  my  heart.  But  I  feel  little  of  it 
now.  It  was  like  writing  on  sand.  Oh  !  that  all  the  flock  of 
Christ  had  more,  very  much  more,  of  this  law.  Oh  that  thirteenth 
of  Corinthians  !  Do  read  and  pray  over  it.  There  is  love— such 
love  as  we  want — the  whole  law  written  in  our  hearts.  I  wish  the 
Lord  would  give  me  to  say  something  to  stir  you  up  to  pray  more 
for  love ;  and  then,  when  you  are  quite  full  of  love,  that  he  would 
make  you  the  means  of  conveying  it  to  me.  I  would  have  you 
pray  over  1  John  iv.  16 — 21,  as  well  as  1  Cor.  xiii.  We  must  first 
"  know  and  believe  the  love  which  God  hath  towards  us."  That 
will  make  us  love.' 

To  another  beloved  friend  she  expresses  herself  with  similar 
warmth  and  intensity. 

"How  shall  I,  who  am  so  full  of  §in,  think  to  say  anything  that 
may  be  useful  to  you,  my  dear  friend  ?     Yet  perhaps  "  the  comfort 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  tm& 

wherewith  I  have  been  comforted  of  God,"  in  trying  to  spread  your 
sorrows  before  him,  may  be  communicated  to  your  soul,  while  I  am 
telhng  you  of  it ;  for  blessed  be  Jesus — we  are  all  one — members  of 
the  same  body.  "It  is  given  us  in  behalf  of  Christ  to  suffer,'"  and 
rejoice  with  one  another.  When  I  was  trying  to  pray,  I  endeavored 
to  think  of  a  verse,  which  I  miglit  plead  with  God,  and  which  might 
encourage  myself  The  Lord  put  this  into  my  heart — "Neither 
pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me 
through  their  word — (for  us  ;)  that  they  all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou. 
Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in 
iisy'^  But  oh  !  the  comfort  that  filled  ray  soul,  when  I  thought 
that  Jesus  had  lifted  up  this  prayer  for  you  long  before  you  were 
born  !  that  he  has  had  it  in  his  heart  for  you  (and  for  me  too,  and, 
all  God's  people,  who  all  need  it  as  much)  ever  since  !  and  he  is 
praying  the  same  thing  for  us  now  !  and  finally  that  '•'■the  Father 
heareih  him  always  P'^  Therefore,  the  Father  has  heard,  does 
hear,  and  will  hear,  this  most  gracious  petition,  which  the  Lord 
Jesus  offered  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples,  and  which  God  the  Spirit 
brought  to  their  remembrance  for  our  encouragement — "  that  we  all 
may  be  one,  as  he  is  one  with  the  Father."  Yes — and  we  all  shall 
he  one,  though  Satan  and  all  his  angels  conspire  to  divide  us.  He 
can  no  more  separate  us  from  the  love  of  one  another,  than  he  "can 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ."  Truly,  we  have  fellowship 
one  with  another ;  and  "  we  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death 
unto  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren. '"■'  May  j'ou  be  enabled  to 
use  more  boldness  at  the  throne  of  grace,  to  "draw  near  in  full 
assurance  of  faith,"  and  claim  what  Jesus,  ivho  cannot  ask  in  vain, 
has  asked  of  the  Father  for  you — a  full  and  abiding  enjoyment  of 
that  love  to  the  brethren — that  fellowship— that  oneness  with  the 
saints,  which  is  just  as  much  yours  as  Christ  is  yours  !  It  is  a  part 
of  your  purchased  possession ;  and  nothing  can  keep  you  out  of 
your  right,  Ijut  your  own  want  of  faith  to  plead  that  right  with  a 
God,  who  is  more  ready  to  give  than  we  to  ask.' 

Would  that  these  enlivening  sentiments  of  Christian  love  were 
universally  diffused  !  Our  Lord's  wonderful  prayer^  on  this  subject 
is  indeed,  as  Miss  Graham  observes,  an  answeied  prayer — that  is — 
in  its  incipient  and  progressive  results.  Yet  it  is  only  a  specimen 
of  that  intercession,  with  which  he  has  pledged  himself,  that  "  for 
Zion's  sake  he  will  not  hold  his  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake 
he  will  not  rest,"  until  his  Father  shall  make  his  "Jerusalem  a 
praise  in  the  earth."*^  The  plenary  blessing  is  yet  in  store  for  us. 
We  want  increased  exertion  and  expectancy  as  a  means  of  prepara- 
tion for  it.  We  want  to  change  our  indolent  anticipation  of  this 
union  perfected  in  heaven  for  the  immediate  personal  exercises  of 
faith,  patience,  forbearance,  and  humility,  by  which  "  our  hearts 
may  be  knit  together  in  love,'"'  even  in  the  midst  of  the  incessant 

1  Phil,  i,  29.  2  John  xvii.  20,  21.  3  ibid  xi.  43.  «  1  John  iii.  14. 

5  John  xvii.  21.  6  jsaiah  Ixii.  1,  7.  i  Col.  ii.  1, 


186  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

conflicts  of  the  church  ;  and  we  shall  then  be  ready  to  help  each 
other's  labors,  and  hail  each  other's  success. 

The  present  aspect  of  the  church  is  hideed  most  afflicting.  We 
would  not  narrow  the  necessary  breach  between  the  churcliand  the 
world  by  any  compromise  of  principle  or  of  conscience.  But  how 
painful  is  it  to  "  see  the  breaches  of  the  city  of  David,  that  they  are 
many  !'"  When  will  our  Zion  appear  in  '"the  perfection  of  beau- 
ty"— as  "  a  city  compact  together?"*  "For  the  divisions  of "  o;/c 
tribe  in  Israel  "  there  were  great  searchings  of  lieart."^  How  care- 
ful, therefore,  ought  the  scrutiny  to  be,  when  the  evil  spirit  appears 
to  be  spreading  throughout  the  whole  camp !  It  is  not  an  ideal 
prospect  that  we  picture  to  our  imagination — but  that  "good  and 
^pleasant  sight"  to  behold  of"  brethren  dwelling  together  in  unity."* 
Such  was  the  church  in  her  prmiilive  glory,  when  "  the  whole 
multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one 
soul"5 — when  'the  church — as  Chrysostom  observes — 'was  a  little 
heaven.' 

The  motives  to  atteinpt,  as  far  as  in  us  lies,  the  restoration  of 
this  glory  to  the  church  are  most  constraining — such  as  fellowship 
with  the  spirit  and  prayer  of  our  glorious  Head — his  honor  in  the 
world  exalted  by  this  heavenly  spectacle" — the  Church  in  every  part 
"edifying  itself  in  love"' — the  Christian  profession  estabhshed^ — 
and  the  consoling  privileges  of  the  Gospel  manifested  and  enjoyed.* 

The  strength  to  promote  this  union  in  the  Church  will  be  found 
in  deep  self-abasement  and  wrestling  intercession  with  our  God. 
Let  us  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  earnest  pleadings  of  the  "  man 
after  God's  heart"  for  his  people.  "  O  God,  thou  hast  cast  us  off; 
thou  hast  scattered  us  :  thou  hast  been  displeased  ;  O  turn  thyself 
to  us  again.  Thou  hast  made  the  earth  to  tremble ;  thou  hast 
broken  it ;  heal  the  breaches  thereof,  for  it  shaketh."'"  Impossible 
that  "  the  Lord  should"  long  "  be  angry  against  the  prayer  of  his 
people  !"" 

The  scriptural  rules  for  maintaining  this  union  are  most  simple 
and  explicit.  "  Whereunto  we  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk 
by  the  same  rule ;  let  us  mind  the  same  thing."  "  Him  that  is 
weak  in  the  faith,  receive" — not  cast  off.  "  We  that  are  strong 
ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  our- 
selves."'* These  rules  are  enforced  by  the  example,  no  less  than  by 
the  authority  of  our  gracious  Head,  and  directed  to  the  highest  end — 
"  Receive  ye  one  another,  as  Christ  also  receivetlt  us,  to  the  glory 
of  GodJ^^^  Great  indeed  is  the  difficulty  of  holding  conscientious 
differences  in  brotherly  love.  We  are  too  apt  to  magnify  the  points 
of  difference,  while  the  due  proportion  of  the  points  of  agreement  is 
somewhat  obscured.     We  are  more  ready  to  dispute  upon  the  points 

1  Isaiah  xxii.  9.  ^  Psalm  1.  2;  cxxii.  3.  3  Judges  v.  16. 

5  Psalm  cxxxiii.  1.  ^  Acts  iv.  3-2.  6  John  xvii.  21. 

7  Ephes.  iv.  16.  8  phil.  i.  27.  9  ibid.  ii.  1,  2, 

10  Psalm  Ix.  I,  2.  "  Ibid.  Ixxx.  4.        '2  Phil.  iii.  16.    Rom.  xvi.  1;  xv.  1. 

3  Rom.  XV.  7. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  187 

of  controversy,  than  to  strengthen  each  other's  faith  and  love  upon 
the  principles  of  the  Gospel.  Thus  our  inordinate  love  of  our  own 
opinions  leads  us  to  press  them  beyond  their  legitimate  bounds,  and 
even  beyond  our  sober  intention ;  and  from  this  defect  of  connect- 
ing humility  and  forbearance  with  faith,  many  schisms  arise  in  the 
body. 

Would  that  there  were  among  us  one  heart  and  one  purpose,  to 
exalt  our  Divine  Master — to  let  every  name  be  lost  in  His — to  de- 
sire no  name  to  be  great  but  His  !  But  the  canker  of  the  church 
is  that  party  spirit — more  or  less  common  to  all — which  unites  the 
several  communities  upon  their  own  private  grounds,  instead  of 
forming  a  rallying  point  for  the  whole  body.  A  tame  compromise 
of  conscience  is  indeed  greatly  to  be  deprecated.  Yet,  unless  pri- 
vate selfishness,  (sometimes  cloaking  itself  under  the  garb  of  con- 
science,) and  party  Shibboleths  be  merged  in  Christian  love,  no  holy 
brotherly  communion  can  exist.  We  do  not  expect  brother  to  yield 
to  brother,  but  each  to  submit  his  conscience  to  his  great  Head — 
each  member  to  grow  up  into  Him,  and  to  recollect  that  he  has 
some  individual  sentiment  to  forbear,  from  a  considerate  regard  to 
the  unity  of  the  body.  It  seems  to  be  forgotten  that  Divine  truth 
in  all  its  parts  and  connections  is  fully  revealed  to  none — that  the 
degrees  of  attainment  in  scriptural  knowledge  are  indefinitely  varied 
— that  every  difference  in  religion,  is  not  a  different  rehgion — that 
there  is  a  want  of  perfection  and  singleness  in  the  clearest  eye,  that 
is  an  inlet  for  the  partial  introduction  of  darkpess — and  that  all  of 
us  are  more  or  less  criminally  warped  by  the  school  in  which  we 
have  been  trained,  by  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  live,  or  by  the 
diflJerence  of  our  own  tempers  and  habits  of  thinking.  Hence  it  is 
evident,  that  a  sincere  reception  of  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel 
lays  a  solid  basis  for  mutual  afiection  ;  and  that  in  lesser  points 
"  forbearing  one  another  in  love,"  is  the  only  efl^ectual  means  of 
"  keeping  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace."'  Indeed, 
*  substantial  harmony,  combined  with  circumstantial  variety,'  (as 
Paley  remarks  of  the  evidence  of  testimony)  is  the  only  practicable 
cathohcity  ;  and  to  attempt  a  more  entire  agreement  in  detail  would 
be  a  certain  breach  in  the  concord  of  the  universal  church.  Yet, 
though  unity  of  opinion  is  impracticable,  unity  of  faith  is  to  be  con- 
stantly aimed  at ;  and  this  may  be  consistent  with  a  great  diversity 
of  individual  character,  and  even  with  many  shades  of  doctrinal 
differences. 

But  let  us  not  be  "  ignorant  of  Satan's  devices."^  Too  success- 
fully does  he  succeed  by  division  among  the  friends  of  Christ,  to 
prevent  the  united  assault  upon  his  own  kingdom.  I-et  us  descend 
from  our  lesser  disputes  to  the  field  of  the  conflict  between  the  great 
powers  of  light  and  darkness.  Let  us  "come  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord— to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty."^  The  voice  of 
God  to  his  church  is,  "  Love  the  truth  and  peace:^*     We  love 

1  Ephesians  iv.  3,  3.  '  2  2  Cor.  ii.  11. 

3  Judges  V.  23.  4  Zech.  viii.  19.    Comp.  Rom.  xiv.  19. 


188  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

neither,  if  we  love  not  both.  If  in  the  professed  cause  of  "  truth" 
we  tear  the  consciences  of  our  brethren,  and  wound  the  "  peace"  of 
the  church,  perhaps  we  may  expect  one  common  storm,  one  uniting 
bond  of  suffering,  to  be  the  Lord's  appointed  means  of  humbUng 
and  chastising  his  church,  and  accomplishing  his  gracious  purposes 
by  the  instruments  of  his  loving  correction. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

HER    ILLNESS    AND    DEATH. 

The  period  of  her  illness  embraces  a  large  portion  of  what  in  her 
case,  as  her  father  observes,  '  might  not  be  untruly  called,  "  that 
long  disease — her  life."'  From  her  childhood,  her  health  Avas  very 
delicate ;  and  the  long  illness  which  occasioned  her  leaving  school, 
left  a  debility  in  her  constitution,  from  which  she  sufiered  more  or 
less  to  the  end  of  life.  Violent  pains  in  her  head,  chest,  and  side, 
appeared  however  to  be  the  commencement  of  that  disease,  which 
gradually  developed  a  fatal  character.  For  some  years  she  was  in- 
deed able  to  exert  herself,  (too  often  much  beyond  her  strength), 
both  in  bodily  and  mental  activity.  She  continued  her  intellectual 
studies  with  her  usual  vigor,  till  about  a  year  after  her  settlement 
in  De^^n  ;  when  increasing  illness  constrained  her  to  send  her 
young  pupil  to  school,  and  she  was  never  afterwards  enabled, 
though  she  much  wished  it,  to  resunie  the  care  of  her  education. 
From  that  time  she  became  a  decided  invalid  ;  and  except  in  the 
year  1827,  (when  she  changed  the  scene  for  the  benefit  of  her 
health,)  she  never  moved  beyond  the  garden,  and  only  two  or  three 
times  ventured  into  the  outward  air.'  For  the  last  two  years  she 
was  entirely  confined  to  her  room,  and  unable  to  be  dressed.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  of  this  period,  her  anxious  mother  slept  in  her  cham- 
ber, watching  over  her  witli  the  most  unremitting  tenderness.  She 
generally  kept  her  bed,  till  within  the  last  seven  or  eight  months, 
when  a  violent  cough,  and  spasms  in  the  heart,  prevented  a  re- 
chning  position,  except  when  she  was  compelled  to  return  to  it  by 
fainting  and  exhaustion.  The  only  reusorce  was  a  chair  well  sup- 
ported with  pillows,  in  which  she  sat  up  day  and  night,  and  from 
which  the  assistance  of  three  persons  was  required  to  remove  her 
during  the  last  few  weeks  of  her  life.  She  appeared,  however,  to 
suffer  less  from  debility  than  many  invalids.  For  though  she  was 
wholly  unable  to  stand,  yet  a  change  of  medical  regimen  appeared 
to  give  her  temporary  relief  from  distressing  helplessness. 

In  this  state  of  wearisome  languor  and  pain,  her  mind,  however, 
was  always  vigorous  and  full  of  energy.  She  never  seemed  to 
know  an  idle  moment.  During  the  whole  period  of  confinement  to 
her  bed,  she  was  always  surrounded  with  books,  or  other  objects 

I  Of  one  of  these  times  the  following  memorandum  occurs  in  a  letter  to  her  cousin. 
'  To-day,  I  know  not  how,  all  my  illness  seems  to  have  disappeared,  and  I  feel  much 
better,  so  that  1  have  been  out  in  the  garden  the  second  time  since  you  left  me.  Ah! 
how  delightful  the  weather  was ;  what  pleasure  I  felt  in  breathing  tlie  fresh  air,  in  see- 
ing the  trees  which  begin  to  bud,  the  spring  flowers  which  are  appearing,  and  in  hear- 
ing the  song  of  the  birds,  who  seem  to  rejoice  no  less  than  myself  in  this  season.' 


190  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

that  engaged  her  attention.  It  was  her  habit  to  have  her  table 
placed  by  her  bed-side  every  night  with  her  books  and  writing  ma- 
terials, that  she  might  commence  her  operations  with  the  earliest 
dawn  of  light.  Her  beloved  Bible  was  always  under  her  pillow,  the 
first  thing  in  her  hand  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  at  night.  Sub- 
ordinate to  this  object  of  supreme  interest,  her  diligence  and  perse- 
verance in  study  were  most  remarkable.  When  reminded  that 
such  intense  application  must  be  injurious  to  her  health,  she  al- 
ways replied,  that  she  considered  these  diversified  sources  of  in- 
terest as  amongst  her  greatest  temporal  blessings,  in  diverting  her 
mind  and  attention  from  her  bodily  ailments.  Her  studies  in  the 
sick  room  were  as  varied  as  in  the  time  of  health.  Sometimes  tlie 
languages  were  taken  up.  At  other  times  the  more  engrossing 
study  of  mathematics  fixed  her  mind.  This  in  its  turn  was  ex- 
changed for  chemistry  or  botany.  Occasionally,  when  her  mind 
was  less  equal  to  exertion,  she  w^ould  amuse  herself  with  lighter 
employments.  In  the  spring  of  her  last  year,  she  attempted  to  dry 
flowers  which  her  parents  procured  for  her,  wi(,h  the  intention  of 
forming  an  herbarium.  But  increasing  indisposition  frustrated  this 
plan.  Cutting  out  paper  was  also  a  favorite  amusement,  in  which 
she  early  excelled.  Her  skilful  use  of  the  scissors  had  attrjftted  in 
her  young  days  the  admiration  and  interest  of  her  school-fellows. 
She  was  also  a  beautiful  netter,  and  sent  a  number  of  purses  to  her 
Spanish  correspondent,  which,  when  sold  at  a  Bazaar  for  his  pri- 
vate benefit,  produced  upwards  of  three  pounds.  Thus  in  these  va- 
rious employments  did  her  mind  maintain  its  ceaseless  activity, 
both  in  intellectual  indulgence,  and  in  all  the  exercises  of  practical 
devotedness.  No  opportunity  of  usefulness  appeared  to  be  forgot- 
ten. When  detained  from  the  house  of  God  by  her  protracted  in- 
disposition, her  time  and  interest  were  employed  in  explaining  the 
Scriptures  to  the  servant  who  was  necessarily  occupied  in  attend- 
ance upon  her  ;  and  in  one  instance  it  was  lioped,  as  well  as  in  a 
former  case  of  much  earlier  date,  that  her  simple  and  spiritual  in- 
structions in  the  household  Avere  applied  with  divine  unction  and 
sovereign  grace  to  the  heart. 

As,  however,  her  illness  evidently  approached  its  termination, 
her  employments  assumed  a  character  more  exclusively  spiritual. 
She  was  occupied  in  girding  up  her  loins,  and  trimming  her  lamp, 
in  constant  and  delighted  expectation  of  her  Lord's  immediate 
coming.' 

And  now  it  was,  that  the  Christian  graces  which  had  been 
matured  in  the  school  of  affliction,  and  under  the  influence  of 
habitual  communion  with  her  God,  displayed  more  manifestlv  their 
holiness,  beauty,  and  consolation.  This  was  (as  an  excellent  cler- 
gyman, be%re  adverted  to,  wrote  to  her  father,)  the  fiery  chariot, 
her  vehicle  to  heaven,  in  which — the  more  it  shook  her  mortal 
frame,  until  it  left  it  all  behind — the  stronger  and  more  full  of 

'  Luke  xii.  35.  36, 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  191 

faith  and  triumph  in  Christ  Jesus,  she  grew  in  her  immortal 
spirit.' 

A  detailed  account  of  this  last  period  of  her  mortal  career  will, 
it  is  presumed,  be  found  generally  interesting.  In  these  solemn 
seasons  is  every  feature  more  accurately  defined  ;  while  the  color- 
ing is  heightened  by  the  impressive  manifestation  of  the  love  and 
faithfulness  of  our  God  and  Saviour. 

To  the  last,  her  habits  of  active  employment  icere  predominant. 
Her  thoughts  and  time  were  much  occupied  in  preparing  her  two 
small,  but  valuable  works  for  publication  ;  and  she  continued  to 
correct  the  proof  sheets  of  them  as  they  were  sent  to  her  till  within 
a  few  days  of  her  death.  At  first  her  mind  was  divided  between 
the  completion  of  her  projected  Series  of  Letters  to  a  Governess; 
and  the  work — On  the  Freencss  of  Divine  Grace.  But  mature  de- 
hberation  decided  her  in  favor  of  the  latter,  as  being  calculated  for 
more  extensive  usefulness.  She  was  indefatigable  also  in  her  cor- 
respondence with  her  friends,  upon  the  principle  of  duty,  in  using 
every  opportunity  of  setting  forth  the  grand  and  inviting  subject 
of  the  Gospel  to  her  fellow-sinners.  She  continued  to  write  even 
after  she  was  unable  to  use  her  pen,  and  when  having  had  just 
power *to  direct  a  pencil,  her  wrist  had  been  bound  up  to  give  her  a 
little  strength.  The  following  extracts  from  her  letters,  during  this 
.solemn  season  of  daily  expectancy,  mark  the  character  of  her  mind. 
We  select  an  illustration  at  some  length  of  the  intense  anxiety  with 
which  she  regarded  the  spiritual  interest  of  those  that  were  dear  to 
her,  and  of  the  earnest,  awakening,  and  yet  encouraging  applica- 
tion of  the  privileges  of  the  Gospel,  to  fix  them  to  an  entire  devoted- 
ness  to  their  eternal  concerns. 

'  Stoke  Fleming,  Sept.  28,  1830. 

' "  Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon 
•us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  chikiren  of  God  !'"  This  love 
should  be  enough  for  us.  Come  pain,  sickness,  poverty,  afllliction  ; 
and  still  the  Christian  must  rejoice,  when  he  considers  "what 
manner  of  love  the  Father  has  bestowed  on  him."  Reconciled  to 
God;  redeemed  by  Christ  Jesus ;  sanctified,  taught,  and  comforted 
by  the  Spirit ;  what  is  there  in  the  world  that  can  rob  him  of  his 
joy  1  "  Who  shall  separate  him  from  the  love  of  Christ?""^  And 
as  long  as  he  has  this  love,  how  shall  he  not  "  rejoice  with  joy  un- 
speakable, and  full  of  glory  7"^ 

'My  dear ,  I  would  stir  up  your  heart  to  make  this  joy  your 

joy.  Oh  that  my  God  would  give  me  words  of  power  and  persua- 
sion, and  send  them  by  his  Spirit  to  your  heart !  "  Awake  thou 
that  sleepest ;"  awake,  awake.  Time  is  passing — eternity  is  at 
hand.  Thou  must  soon  receive  a  crown  of  glory,  "  or  cover  thyself 
with  thine  own  confusion  as  with  a  mantle."  '•  Behold,  now  is  the 
accepted  time.     Seek  the  Lord  ?iow  while  he  may  be  found,  call 

1  1  John  iii.  1.  2  Rom  vjii.  35.  ^  i  Peter  i.  8. 


192  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

upon  him  nmo  while  he  is  near.  Draw  nigh  unto  God,  and  he  will 
draw  nigh  unto  you.'"  Oh  let  me  remind  you,  not  in  a  spirit  of  re- 
proof, but  of  the  most  anxious,  earnest  affection,  how  long  "  the 
goodness  of  God  has  been  leading  you  to  repentance."*  I  believe 
it  is  now  ten  years,  or  nearly  so,  since  we  were  confirmed  together. 
Then  you  seemed  resolved  to  make  the  Lord  indeed  your  God  ;  to 
bo  no  longer  "  conformed  to  this  world,"  but  to  "  come  out  from 
the  world  and  be  separate  ;"  to  walk  as  "  a  stranger  and  pilgrim 
upon  earth."  Often  since  then  have  you  appeared  to  be  affected  by 
tlie  same  feelings  and  desires.  The  time  you  spent  with  me  here 
was  marked  by  one  blessed  season,  during  which  the  word  of  God 
seemed  to  be  your  delight;  prayer  to  God  your  chief  comfort;  and 
you  expressed  your  entire  renouncement  of  your  own  righteousness, 
and  a  simple  trust  in  the  atonement  and  righteousness  of  God  your 
Saviour.  Recall  that  precious  time  to  your  mind,  ray  beloved  friend. 
You  were  then  beginning  to  be  happy.  Inquire  how  it  was,  that, 
instead  of  "going  from  strength  to  streagtli,"  from  "glory  to  glory," 
"  from  faith  to  faith,"  you  rekipsed  so  soon  into  your  old  uncomforta- 
ble state  of  mind,  and  have  since  found  so  little  comfort  in  religion. 
Remember  that  now,  even  now,  Christ  is  willing  to  receive  you,  to 
give  you  strength  and  peace,  grace  and  glory;  that  he  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost,  and  Jtiore  willing  to  give  than  you  to  ask, 
more  ready  to  hear  than  you  to  pray.  Consider  what  an  awful 
thing  it  is,  to  go  on,  for  many  years, ''  halting  between  two  opinions  ;" 
knowing  your  Lord's  will  and  not  doing  it;  visited  by  repeated 
convictions,  yet  those  convictions  producing  no  decided  appearance 
of  conversion.  Consider  all  tliese  things,  and  again  I  say  unto  you, 
Awake,  awake  !  May  God  of  his  infinite  goodness  arouse  you  to  a 
sense  of  the  importance  of  eternal  things  !  May  he  enable  you  to 
wait  upon  him  in  incessant  and  importunate  prayer,  till  he  has 
"  blessed  you,''  (as  he  is  most  willing  to  do.)  "  witli  all  spiritual 
blessings  in  Jesus  Christ !" 

'  When  you  come  to  die,  all  the  trifles  which  now  vex  and  disquiet 
you,  will  seem  less  than  a  drop  of  a  bucket,  than  the  small  dust  of 
the  balance.  But  the  concerns  of  your  soul,  of  what  immense  im- 
portance will  they  appear  !  Why  should  they  not  now  assume  their 
real  weight  and  value  in  your  eyes  ?  Death  may  either  snatch  you 
away  suddenly,  or  be  preceded  by  such  violent  illness,  as  to  render 
you  incapable  of  reflection.  At  such  a  time,  how  delightful  will  it 
be,  to  be  able  to  lean  upon  Christ,  as  an  old  friend,  not  to  seek  him 

as  a  new  one  !     Oh,  ray  dear ,  you  must  find  tirae  to  die  ; 

why  will  you  not  find  time  to  prepare  for  death  ?  You  must  shortly 
be  in  heaven  or  in  hell !  must  feel  the  happy  conseq\ience  of  being 
pardoned  and  accepted  in  Christ,  or  the  dreadful  consequence  of 
remaining  in  a  state  of  guilt  and  condemnation.  "  There  is  now  no 
condemnation  to  those  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus — who  walk  not 
after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit" — who  "  mind  not  the  things  of 

'  2  Cor.  vi.  2.      Isaiah  Iv.  G.     James  iv.  8.  «  Rom.  ii.  4. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  193 

the  flesh,  but  the  things  of  the  Spirit" — who  "  look  not  at  the  things 
which  are  seen  and  temporal,  but  at  the  things  which  are  unseen 
and  eternal" — who  "live  not  to  themselves,  but  to  him  who  died  for 
them,  and  rose  again" — who  have  "  their  conversation,  their  treas- 
ure, their  heart  in  Heaven."' 

'  Examine  yourself,  my  beloved ,  whether  you  answer  to 

this  character."  I  can  write  no  more  now,  but  as  long  as  I  continue 
in  the  flesh,  1  hope  T  shall  not  cease  from  time  to  time  to  remind 
you  of  these  things,  to  beseech  you  to  give  yourself  to  Christ. 

'  My  health  continues  much  as  when last  wrote.     I  suffer 

much  at  night,  as  I  can  never  lie  down  in  bed,  but  am  obliged  to  be 
propped  upright  in  an  easy  chair.  But  they  do  not  seem  to  consider 
me  now  in  any  immediate  danger,  and  if  no  sudden  attack  takes 
place,  they  seem  to  expect  that  [  shall  live  over  the  winter,  or  even 
some  time  longer.  All  this  is  very  uncertain  ;  but  I  hope  that  I  am 
willing  to  wait,  till  my  Saviour's  time  is  come  to  call  me  home  to 
himself.  He  doeth  all  things  well ;  and  I  may  truly  say,  that  he 
has  "  made  all  my  bed  in  my  sickness."  "  His  comforts  dehght  ray 
soul ;"  and  "  in  the  night  his  song  is  with  me,  and  my  prayer  to  the 
God  of  my  life  is"—"  Precious  Saviour !  Tender  Father  !  Thou  will 
cast  out  none  that  come  to  thee." ' 

The  following  letter,  written  in  the  immediate  prospect  of  eternity, 
is  valuable,  as  an  exhibition  of  those  views  of  the  Gospel,  which 
will  alone  stay  the  soul  in  perfect  peace  at  that  awful  juncture.  It 
is  salvation,  rich,  free,  full,  finished — not  a  matter  of  uncertainty, 
dependent  upon  our  own  efibrts  or  righteousness  ;  but  ordained, 
wrought  out,  and  applied  by  God— not  connected  with  faith,  re- 
pentance, and  love,  as  our  previous  fitness  for  the  reception  of  it ; 
but  including  these  graces  as  component  parts  of  the  inestimable 
gift,  "afore  prepared  of  God,  that  we  should  walk  in  them."^ 

'  Juhj  5,  1830. 
'  I  find,  my  beloved  friend,  that  in  death  no  past  good  works,  no 
holy  endeavors  or  desires  can  give  the  least  comfort,  except  as  evi- 
dences that  we  have  been  accepted  for  Christ's  sake.  My  sole  con- 
fidence is— that  I  have  cast  my  poor  guilty  soul  entirely,  and  with- 
out reserve,  on  the  free  mercy  of  God  in  fJhrist  Jesus  ;  casting  far 
from  me  every  other  hope.  My  good  works— where  are  they'?  I 
can  remember  none.  They  are  too  poor  to  think  of  without  the 
profoundest  humiliation.  My  desires  and  endeavors— Oh,  my  dear 
fnend,  I  feel  I  should  insult  my  holy  God,  by  even  naming  them. 
They  are,  indeed,  "coverings  too  narrow  for  any  one  to  wrap  them- 
selves in,"3  at  the  moment  of  entering  into  the  presence  of  God. 
But  my  Saviour  hath  clothed  me  with  his  own  perfect  righteous 
ness,  and  I  wrap  myself  round  in  it  with  unspeakable  feelings  of 
security.  I  examine  it  on  every  side,  and  find  it  "  perfect  and  en- 
tire, wanting  nothing."     I  am  not  afraid  in  this  my  wedding  gar^ 

1  Rom.  viii.  1,5.    2  Cor.  iv.  18;  v.  15.     Phil.  iii.  20.     Matt.  vi.  19—21. 

2  Eph.  11.  10.  3  Isaiah  xxviii.  20. 

13 


194  MEMOIR    OF    JIAKV    JANE    GRAHAM. 

ment,  to  appear  even  before  the  King  of  kings.  I  think  I  hear  my 
Saviour  perpetually  saying  to  nie — ■"  Not  for  thy  sake  do  I  this,  be 
it  known  unto  thee  ;  be  ashamed  and  confounded  for  thine  own 
ways.'"  A  sinful  worm.  May  Jehovah,  my  righteousness,  my 
Tower  and  Strength,  my  Rock  of  defence,  my  Sun  and  my  Shield, 
my  complete  Salvation — Oh  may  he  be  your  God  and  Guide,  for- 
ever and  ever !' 

>S7ie  was  usiially  favored  throughout  the  last  ?nouths  of  her  life 
with  a  remarkable  sense  of  the  divine  presence.  During  times  of 
extreme  agony,  '  Christ,'  she  said,  '  is  with  me,  "  touched  with  the 
feeling  of  mine  infirmities."  '^  Her  intercoiu'se  with  God  at  this 
solemn  season,  while  it  was  most  intimate,  was  yet  most  hallowed. 
One  evening,  after  a  day  of  great  bodily  suffering,  her  cousin  went 
into  her  chamber  to  take  leave  of  her  for  the  night.  The  room  was 
darkened,  and  perfectly  quiet ;  and  the  state  of  her  soul  seemed  to 
accord  with  the  outer  tranquillity.  She  said — '  I  can  scarcely  speak 
to  you.  The  sense  I  have  of  the  presence  of  God  is  so  powerful, 
that  it  almost  overcomes  me.  He  has  often  manifested  himself  to 
me  ;  but  never  in  such  a  manner  as  this  night.  Indeed  I  feel  ready 
to  exclaim  with  Job — "  I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the 
ear;  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee.'"^  She  said  very  little  more, 
being  evidently  too  deeply  impressed  to  converse  ;  '  but' — her  cousin 
adds — 'I  shall  never  forget  that  night.' 

Yet  this  sacredness  offeeling  was  mingled  with  cheerful  delight. 
It  was  truly  Hooker's  'reverend  gayety'* — '  Oh  !' — said  she  one  day 
to  a  friend — •  he  gives  me  to  speak  to  him  "  face  to  face ;"  and 
sometimes,  when  I  aiii  so  weak  that  I  cannot  utter  words,  his 
'•Spirit  helpeth  my  infirmities,  and  maketh  intercession  for  me  with 
groanings  that  cannot  be  uttered.'"'  I  love  to  feel  my  weakness, 
that  I  may  experience  "  his  strength  made  perfect  in  weakness."^ 
T  delight  to  lie  low  before  hi?n.^ 

iShe  loved  to  speak  of  the  character  of  God.  Her  mind  ap- 
peared to  be  much  expanded  in  the  contemplation,  of  his  unsearch- 
able nature  and  glorious  perfections.  'How  delightful' — ^she  ob- 
served on  one  occasion — 'to  tiiink,  that  "God  is  light,  and  in  Him 
is  no  darkness  at  all."^  All  his  dispensations  are  light ;  and  though 
now  they  seem  dark  to  us,  hereafter  all  clouds  will  be  dispelled."* 

Her  desires  for  a  clear  and  full  knowledge  of  God  were  inost 
intense.  '  What' — she  exclaimed  one  day, — '  are  ten  thousand 
worlds  compared  with  one  ray  of  the  knowledge  of  God  !'  The  ardor 
of  her  soul,  unsatisfied  with  former  manifestations,  was  continually 
stretched  out  for  higher  and  deeper  views  of  the  divine  glory.  She 
was  not  afraid  to  offer  that  prayer,  which  seems  scarcely  befitting 
an  archangel's  lips,  and  which  only  the  clear  warrant  of  the  Gos- 
pel preserves  from  the  stamp  of  presumption.  "  I  beseech  thee  ; 
show  me  thy  glory."*     Often  did  she  entreat  her  minister  to  pray, 

»  Ezek.  xxvi.  S^.  2  Heb.  iv.  15.  3  joh  xlii.  5. 

<  See  Isaac  Walton's  Life.         5  Rom.  viii.  2(j.  6  2  Cor.  xii.  9. 

T  1  John  i.  5.  '^  See  Jolui  xiii.  7.    1  Cor.  xiii.  12.     9  Ex.  xxxiii.  18. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  195 

that  more  might  be  revealed  to  her  in  this  world.  Nor  was  the  pe- 
tition unheard.  For,  in  reply  to  her  dear  mother's  question  a  day 
or  two  before  her  death,  her  answer  was — '  I  could  not  feel  happier.' 
The  concentration  of  all  her  thoughts  upon  eternity  was  pecul- 
iarly striking  and  edifying  to  those  around  her.  This  main 
concern  for  the  last  few  months  of  her  life  absorbed  her  entire  in- 
terest. Nothing  unconnected  with  it  seemed  to  possess  any  claim 
upon  her  attention.  The  engrossing  deHghts  of  intellectual  study 
were  relinquished  forever.  She  had  no  enjoyment  of  any  train  of 
conversation,  except  that  which  directly  led  her  mind  and  contem- 
plation heavenward.  Communion  with  God  was  the  one  object  of 
her  desire.  The  word  of  God  now  occupied  her  whole  attention. 
All  other  books — even  her  favorite  authors — Romaine,  Leighton, 
Milner, — seemed  comparatively  uninteresting.  This  heavenly  ab- 
sorption of  mind  is  finely  depicted  in  the  following  short  extract  from 
one  of  her  late  letters  to  a  friend. 

'^toke  Fleming,  Oct.  1,  1830. 
'  My  dear , 

'  Knowing  that  my  life  hangs  upon  a  thread,  I  dare  not  delay 
answering  your  letter :  I  pray  God  to  enable  me  to  speak  the  truth 
to  you  in  love,  and  to  dispose  you  not  to  think  me  'your  enemy,  be- 
cause I  tell  you  the  truth.'  But  I  7nust,  as  long  as  I  continue  to 
live,  continue  to  urge  you  on  the  subject  of  religion.  I  speak  not 
now  willingly  on  any  other  subject ;  I  desire  to  have  no  more  to  do 
with  earthly  things,  but  to  turn  my  whole  joyful  expectation  to  that 
blessed  Saviour,  whom  I  believe  I  shall  soon  see  face  to  face,  through 
that  infinite,  undeserved  love  and  kindness  of  his,  which  has  taught 
me  to  put  my  whole  trust  in  him  for  salvation.' 

Connected  with  this  feature,  we  may  add,  that  she  seemed  so 
perfectly  weaned,  from  the  world  as  scarcely  to  have  an  earthly 
wish.  Several  times  she  took  leave  of  her  beloved  relatives.  In 
parting  with  her  young  cousin  about  three  months  before  her  death, 
she  writes — '  I  have  not  one  earthly  care  or  wish  ;  for  even  my 
cares  for  her  are  now  all  cast  upon  God,  whose  tender  love  will,  I 
trust,  lead  her  all  her  life  long,  as  it  has  led  me.  She  is  going  one 
way,  and  T  shall  soon  depart  in  another  way;  but  I  would  wait 
patiently.'  One  day  earnestly  recommending  a  friend  to  "cast  all 
her  care  upon  God" — she  gave  the  same  expression  of  her  mind — 
'  I  have  no  earthly  cares— no  earthly  wish.  But' — added  she — ''■  I 
have  spiritual  cares — spiritual  wants  ;  but  I  cast  even  them  all 
upon  God.'  Christ  and  eternity  filled  up  the  whole  vacuum,  and 
left  nothing  else  to  be  desired. 

Resignation  to  the  will  of  God  was 'prom,i?iently  marked  during 
her  illness,  and  was  to  her  the  somce  of  much  heavenly  enjoyment. 
After  meditating  upon  her  Saviour's  words — "  My  meat  is  to  do  the 
will  of  him  that  sent  me,"'— she  observed, — 'Though  I  cannot 

'   John  iv.  ?A. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

now  do  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father,  I  can  suffer  his  will.' 
She  looked  forward  with  great  calmness  to  a  protracted  life  of 
suffering,  when  the  medical  attendant  gave  his  judgment,  that  she 
might  probably  live  for  many  years,  but  would  never  regain  her 
health.  As  she  was  naturally  of  an  energetic  disposition,  ardent  in 
forming  and  executing  her  plans,  this  state  of  acquiescence  to  so 
inactive  a  life  appeared  manifestly  to  be  the  effect  of  divine  grace. 
Once  indeed  she  remarked  with  tears,  that  the  prospect  of  lying  on 
that  bed  for  many  years — of  seeing  her  friends  die  around  her,  and 
those  whom  she  loved  remove  away  (alluding  to  the  anticipated  re- 
moval of  the  rector's  family,  which,  however,  she  did  not  live  to  see) 
was  a  melancholy  thought.  But  the  passing  cloud  was  soon  dissi- 
pated, and  she  regained  her  usual  cheerfulness. 

The  same  warm  temper  of  love  to  the  Lord's  people  that  had 
distinguished  her  general  professio?i  loas  ruling  to  the  last. 
Even  in  her  state  of  distressing  weakness,  she  could  not  be  satisfied 
without  seeing  some  of  them  around  her  bed,  that  she  might  enjoy 
sensible  communion  with  them.  However  weak  they  might  be  in 
faith,  or  low  in  condition,  her  heart  was  fervently  drawn  out  in 
union  with  them.  In  referring  to  some  refreshing  intercourse  with 
two  eminent  Christians — she  observed — 'How  good  my  gracious 
God  is  in  thus  sending  his  saints  to  commune  with  me  upon  those 
deep  and  precious  things  which  now  form  my  only  consolation — my 
"joy  and  the  rejoicing  of  my  heart  !^'  But' — added  she,  acknowledg- 
ing the  supremacy  of  her  heavenly  Friend — -'  after  all,  His  presence 
is  the  only  unfailing  source  of  happiness.  "  With  Him  is  the 
fountain  of  life  ;  in  his  light  shall  we  see  light."  " 

Her  views  of  sin  were  deep.  Her  friend  observing  her  one 
morning  to  look  unusually  disturbed,  ventured  to  express  her  con- 
cern ;  when  she  remarked  with  a  look  that  could  not  be  forgotten — 
"  It  is  sin  that  hath  made  me  so.  I  have  passed  such  a  night ! 
The  deep  solemnity  of  her  manner  precluded  any  further  inquiry. 
Yet  it  was  afterwards  discovered,  that  it  was  not  her  own  sin,  but 
that  of  a  dear  friend  that  had  so  acutely  pierced  her.  Of  herself 
she  observed,  on  another  occasion — •'  Ever  since  I  have  known  my 
sins  to  be  pardoned,  they  have  cost  me  a  thousand  times,  more  dis- 
tress than  before.  So  awfully  does  the  love  of  God,  in  pardoning, 
aggravate  their  guilt. 

The  expressions  of  her  deep  humility,  were  peculiarly  striking 
during  her  illness.  All  her  attainnnents  in  the  Christian  life  were 
never  thought  of,  but  as  dross  and  dung.  Her  sense  of  unprofitable- 
ness kept  her  low  in  the  dust,  while  the  recollections  of  faith,  ex- 
ercised in  habitual  application  to  the  blood  of  her  Redeemer,  upheld 
her  from  despondency.  When  her  minister  ventined  to  express  the 
advantage,  which  his  own  soul  had  derived  from  attendance  upon 
her,  she  exclaimed  with  vehemence — '  How  should  such  a  dead 
dog^  as  I  am  be  of  any  use  ?'     She  sometimes  seemed  as  if  she 

'  Psalm  xxxvi.  9.  23  Sam.  xvi.  9. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY     JANE    GRAHAM.  197 

could  scarcely  conceive  the  possibility  of  being  the  Lord's  instrument 
for  the  good  of  his  people,  while  at  the  same  time  she  continued  to 
employ  her  every  power  of  body  and  mind  in  their  service. 

This  self -abasing-  apprehension  tvas,  however,  combined  with 
ardent  gratitude  to  God  as  the  author,  and  to  her  friends  as  the 
cha7incl,  of  all  her  ?nercies.  Every  attention,  every  act  of  kind- 
ness from  her  parents  and  nurses,  excited  the  most  lively  emotions 
of  thankfulness.  Speaking  one  day  of  the  kindness  of  her  nurse, 
her  minister  observed, — '  But  oh  !  how  kind,  how  much  kinder  is 
Christ.^  'Yes' — she  replied — 'but  even  all  this  kindness  of  the 
creature  flows  to  me  through  his  love,  his  kindness.'  Thus  did  all 
her  earthly  comforts  receive  a  double  relish — thus  also  were  her 
bitterest  trials  sweetened  by  being  traced  up  to  their  divine  source, 
and  by  flowing  into  her  soul  througli  the  delightful  channel  of  the 
mediation  of  her  Saviour. 

The  same  food  that  had  flourished  her  throrighoiit  her  journey, 
continued  to  supply  strength  and  vigor  for  the  last  efforts.  Her 
Bible  was  more  invaluable  than  ever  to  her.  It  was  her  constant 
practice  before  she  went  lo  rest,  to  repeat  a  text  to  her  beloved 
mother,  and  to  require  one  in  return — assigning  as  a  reason,  that 
she  might  have  them  to  think  upon  when  she  was  gone.'  She 
pursued  the  same  habit  of  scriptural  repetition  with  her  atfectionate 
cousin — the  constant  attendant  upon  the  last  months  of  her  illness- 
adding  to  it  the  privilege  of  social  prayer,  except  when  attacks  of 
illness  prevented  it.  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may 
be  full"2 — was  her  favorite  text  to  the  last. 

As  in  health,  so  especially  in  her  last  sickness,  she  had  great 
delight  in  communion  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  She  used  to  address 
her  prayers  much  to  Him,  thought  much  of  his  PersonaUty,  and 
found  the  contemplation  of  it  most  refreshing  to  her  soul.  She 
would  often  speak  with  comfort  of  her  experience  of  his  distinct  in- 
fluence upon  her  heart. 

Hymns  were  also  a  source  of  much  refreshment  to  her  soul.  She 
used  to  repeat  many  to  herself,  especially  during  the  night,  and 
was  thankful  to  the  last  to  have  them  repeated  to  her.  The  last 
that  her  cousin  read  to  her  two  days  before  her  death,  was  one  by 
Madame  de  Fleury,  beginning — 

'  Ye  angels,  who  stand  round  the  throne,'  &c. 

and  Gambold's  beautiful  hymn, 

'  That  I  am  thine,  my  Lord  and  God,'  &c. 

was  a  great  favorite.  Cowper  and  Toplady  also  were  a  source  of 
great  delight  to  her. 

1  A  few  months  before  her  death,  she  presented  her  little  Bible  to  her  mother,  having 
obtained  from  her  the  assurance  that  she  would  read  a  chapter  every  day  with  prayer. 
In  order  to  keep  the  promise  in  mind,  if  the  precious  treasure  was  at  any  time  out  of 
reach,  she  would  playfully  ask  for  it, '  You  know,  dearest  mother,  it  is  not  mine  now,  but 
do  you  lend  it  to  me  while  I  am  here.'  -  John  xvi.  2-4 


198  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

She  expressed  to  her  minister  her  strong  desire  to  receive  the 
sacrament,  the  mention  of  which  had  been  refrained  by  her  friends 
on  account  of  her  great  weakness  and  sudden  attacks  of  violent 
pain.  Slie  feared,  however,  that  she  had  too  long  neglected  it,  and 
could  not  be  satisfied  without  the  refreshment  of  this  holy  ordi- 
nance. When  speaking  of  it  before  the  administration — she  said 
— '  Oh  !  I  desire  a  full  communion.  I  long  to  see  as  many  as 
possible  of  the  dear  children  of  God  to  partake  with  me  of  this 
blessed  ordinance,'  She  expected,  as  she  was  justly  warranted  to 
do,  a  rich  blessing  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  last  command  of  her 
dying  Lord.  Nor  was  she  disappointed.  Twice  she  received  th^ 
sacred  emblems  from  the  hands  of  the  venerable  rector  of  the  parish 
(since  departed  to  his  rest)  ;  and  in  the  following  aflTecting  letter, 
written  in  pencil  with  great  difficulty  immediately  after  one  of  these 
occasions,  she  expressed  to  him  her  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the 
consolations  which  he  had  instrumentally  imparted  to  her  soul. 

'My  dear  Sir, 

'  I  thank  you  very  affectionately  for  the  comfort  I  have  received 
to-day  through  your  means.  When  I  saw  you,  I  regretted  that  I 
could  not  tell  you  so  myself.  But  it  is  the  Lord,  who  hath  both 
dulled  your  power  of  hearing,  and  weakened  my  power  of  speak- 
ing ;  and  he  does  it  with  both  of  us,  to  warn  us  gently,  that  these 
frail  bodies  must  soon  be  quite  taken  to  pieces,  and  lie  lill  we  are 
"clothed  upon"  with  '-a  body  like  unto  His  glorious  body."  It 
will  give  you  pleasure  to  know,  that,  while  you  administered  the 
bread  and  wine.  I  was  enabled  to  cast  my  whole  soul  as  a  miserable 
sinner  on  the  free  mercies  of  Him,  who  died  that  we  might  live; 
and  to  rejoice  in  (he  thought  of  our  meeting  ere  long,  through  the 
same  free  grace,  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 

'I  wished  to  write  these  few  lines  to  explain  my  own  feelings  to 
you  ;  for  my  dear  mamma,  in  her  anxious  love,  so  much  fears  my 
seeing  one,  to  whom  she  thinks  I  could  not  talk  without  exertion, 
that  I  fear  it  had  never  been  properly  explained  to  you,  that 
though  I  feel  unable  to  talk  to  you,  I  should  be  most  happy  to 
listen  to  you. 

'  Accept,  my  dear  sir,  the  Christian  love  and  thanks  of  your 
truly  and  gratefully  attached 

'  Mary  Graham.' 

The  support  which  was  vouchsafed  to  her  in  the  midst  of  her 
intense  hodily  suffering,  was  such  as  might  have  been  expected 
from  the  known  and  tried  faithfulness  of  her  God.  Such  was  her 
enjoyment  at  some  seasons  of  agony — that  her  '  pains,'  as  she  said 
on  one  occasion,  '"were  sweeter  than  honey  or  the  honeycomb." 
At  one  of  her  times  of  distress  she  remarked — '  I  am  a  child  lying 
in  the  arms  of  Christ,  and  he  treats  me  with  more  than  a  mother's 
tenderness.'    Truly,  indeed,  was  she  "  strengthened  with  all  might, 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  199 

according  to  the  glorious  power  of  God,  unto  all  patience  and  long- 
suffering  loith  joy  fulness.''''^ 

It  is  almost  needless  to  add  as  the  concluding  article  of  detail — 
that  the  sting  of  death  was  removed  from  her. 

'It  is  not  death  to  me,'— she  would  sa}^—' Jesus  hath  tasted 
death  for  me,  and  hath  drunk  up  all  its  bitterness.'  The  pros- 
pect of  eternity  was  entirely  divested  of  its  terrors,  and  beamed 
with  the  bright  anticipation  of  everlasting  joy.  We  may  take  the 
following  glowing  view  of  her  hopes,  given  for  the  conviction  of 
one  of  her  young  friends. 

'  Aug.  7,  1830. 
'  I  am  going  to  mention  a  sentence  in  your  letter  which  grieved 
me  ;  not  as  it'^regards  myself,  but  as  it  leads  me  to  fear,  that  you 
are  not  fully  acquainted  with  (hose  things,  which  can  afford  real 
and  solid  satisfaction  on  a  near  view  of  death.  You  speak  of  feel- 
ing satisfaction  in  death,  as  it  affords  a  cessation  from  all  pain. 
Dearest  ,  did  you  remember  at  the  time,  that  death  is  some- 
thing more  than  a  cessation  ?— that  it  is  an  entrance  into  an  eter- 
nal world,  and  that  to  those  who  "have  washed  their  robes,  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,"  this  is  an  entrance 
into  eternal  glory  ?  Bear  with  me,  while  I  lell  you  from  my  own 
actual  experience,  what  it  is  that  ransomed  sinners  rejoice  in  at  the 
approach  of  death  :  I  have  stood  lately  more  than  once  on  the  very 
brink  of  eternity,  and  thought  myself  on  the  point  of  taking  the 
awful  step.  This  makes  heaven  and  earth,  temporal  and  eternal 
things,  appear  in  their  strong  and  true  point  of  contrast.  And  now 
that'l  am  called  back  to  the  things  of  time  for  a  little  longer,  if  I 
can  be  of  the  least  use  to  one  of  my  fellow-sinners  and  sufferers 
here,  I  shall  not  regret  the  delay.  It  is  not  the  cessation  from  pain, 
that  can  make  Christians  view  the  approach  of  death  with  satis- 
faction. For,  believe  me,  they  have  not  one  pain  too  many.  Not 
that  they  love  pain,  or  are  not  glad  to  be  freed  from  it,  when  the 
Lord  pleases.  But  they  know  that  every  one  of  their  sufferings  is 
necessary  and  good  for  them,  and  that  they  come  from  the  hand  of 
a  kind  and  tender  Father.  They  are  willing  to  bear  as  much 
pain  as  His  love  sees  fit  to  inflict.     Their  pains  are  very  sweet  to 

them,  as  they  come  from  Him.     And,  O  dearest ,  could  you 

knovy  how  he  "  strengthens  them  upon  the  bed  of  languishing,  and 
how  he  makes  all  their  bed  in  their  sickness  f^  you  would  almost 
envy  them  even  their  pains,  sweetened  as  they  are  by  "  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding."  Wherein  do  they  re- 
joice ?  In  the  hope  of  being  "  forever  with  the  Lord  !"  of  seeing 
him,  "  whom  having  not  seen,  they  have  loved  ;  in  whom,  though 
now  they  see  him  not,  yet,  believing,  they  rejoice  with  joy  unspeak- 
able and  full  of  glory."^    Oh  !  to  behold  this  "  King  in  his  beauty," 

1  Colossians  i.  11.  «  Psalm  xli.  3.  ^  i  Peter  i.  8. 


Sfl©  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

and  beholding — to  be  transformed  into  his  glorious  likeness  !'  and 
then  to  cease  from  sin ! — this,  this  is  tJie  blessed  cessation  after 
which  real  Christians  jjant.  To  love  their  holy  and  reconciled 
God  without  any  coldness  or  unfaithfulness ;  to  offend  him  no  more 
by  one  unholy,  or  rebellious,  or  selfish,  or  unbelieving  thought ;  to 
be  pure  as  he  is  pure;  to  be  "without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such 
thing ;"  and  then  to  praise  Him,  to  give  him  glory,  and  to  cast  our 
blood-bought  crowns  at  his  feet,  through  the  counties  ages  of  eter- 
nity!    Pray,  my  beloved ,  that  in  the  hour  of  death  you  may 

be  so  filled  with  these  causes  of  joy,  that  the  mere  escape  from  a 
few  bodily  pains  may  seem  not  worthy  to  be  mentioned  in  the  com- 
parison. The  Bible  tells  you,  that  "  except  you  be  born  again, 
you  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  and  that  *'  if  any  man  be  in 
Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  new  creaUire^  old  things  have  passed  away, 
behold  all  things  are  become  new"'^  Examine,  I  beseech  you, 
whether  you  have  undergone  that  mighty  change  in  all  your 
views,  tempers,  and  sentiments,  which  these  expressions  imply.  If 
you  die  without  being  born  again,  and  made  a  new  creature  in 
Christ  Jesus,  I  shall  never  meet  you  in  heaven  ;  for  God,  who  can- 
not lie,  hath  said  it.  But  pray,  pray,  oh  pray  to  him,  that  he  would 
thus  convert  your  heart.  He  will  hear  and  answer  you.  There  is 
nothing  else  worth  living  for,  but  that,  living  or  dying,  you  may  be 
the  Lord's.     May  this  be  your  happy  case  !' 

She  would  sometimes  speak  of  herself  as  a  disembodied  spirit ;  as 
if  she  reaUzed  in  the  fullest  perception  and  assurance,  her  entrance 
into  the  world  of  blessedness.  Her  frequent  reference  to  her  depar- 
ture was  in  calm  composure — like  making  preparation  for  a  short 
journey,  or  a  temporary  absence.  At  other  times  it  was  in  joyful 
hope.  On  one  occasion — six  months  before  her  death — ^when  she 
was  thought  to  be  dying,  she  unexpectedly  revived,  and,  seeing  her 
weeping  friends  around  her,  asked  her  dear  mother  why  they  were 
all  in  tears — adding  with  great  animation — '  Do  you  think  that  I 
shall  be  with  Jesus  to-morrow  V  At  another  of  these  times,  she  ex- 
claimed— '  If  the  Lord  should  come  and  take  me  this  night — but, 
oh  ! — that  is  too  much  to  hope  for.'  After  a  violent  attack  of  cough- 
ing and  spasm,  a  friend  observed — '  I  fear  you  suffer  much.'  '  Oh, 
no  !' — she  replied — '  I  delight  to  feel  the  pins  of  the  tabernacle  taking 
out.'  She  burst  into  tears,  when  a  physician  who  occasionally  saw 
her,  informed  her,  that  the  disease  had  not  made  the  progress  which 
he  had  supposed.  This,  however,  was  but  a  momentary  feeling. 
For,  upon  her  mother's  remindingher — that  she  was  only  not  quite 
so  near  home  as  she  had  expected,  she  replied — '  Oh,  no  !  this  is 
wrong;'  dried  up  her  tears,  and  returned  to  her  usual  serenity  and 
cheerfulness.  Writing  to  one  of  her  friends  in  reference  to  a  be- 
loved saint,  who  had  died  in  the  triumph  of  the  Gospel,  she  re- 
marked— '  Well ;  I  shall  have  one  friend  more  to  welcome  me, 

I  Isaiah  xxxiii.  17.     1  John  iii.  2.  2  John  iii.  5.     2  Cor.  v.  17. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 


201 


when  the  Lord's  lime  shall  come  to  "  administer"  to  me  also  "  an 
entrance  into  his  everlasting  kingdom."  "  Oh,  blessed  hope  !  happy 
sinners !  saved  by  the  blood  of  Jesus."  Then  she  adds  this  affec- 
tionate exhortation,  '  Oh,  my  dear,  my  beloved  friend,  1  charge  you 
so  to  devote  yourself  to  the  Lord,  that  '•  the  full  assurance  of  hope" 
may  cheer  you  now,  and  at  the  hour  of  death.'  Upon  receiving  the 
intelligence  of  the  sudden  death  of  another  Christian  friend,  she  ex- 
claimed— '  I  have  heard  the  good  news.  She  has  rent  the  veil  at 
once.  Mine  is  taking  down  piece  by  piece.  By  and  by  I  shall 
find  a  chink  large  enough  to  get  out  of;  hke  a  bird  confined  in  a 
cage,  and  fluttering  about  to  extricate  itself  in  vain,  till  at  last  the 
door  being  open,  the  happy  prisoner  wings  its  flight  towards  hea- 
ven.' There  might  probably  be  an  occasional  mixture  of  infirmity 
in  these  intense  desires  for  her  home.  It  is  indeed  the  dictate  of 
Christian  wisdom  to  prefer  the  gain  of  death.  But  it  is  equally  the 
part  of  Christian  obedience  to  embrace  the  service  of  life  ;  and  the 
desire  to  depart,  so  far  as  it  is  not  subjugated  to  the  readiness  to 
wait,  partakes  of  the  nature  of  self-will  more  than  of  holy  affections. 
Generally,  however,  the  ardency  of  her  desires  appeared  to  be  sub- 
dued to  a  resignation  to  the  Divine  will.  Thus  in  reference  to  her 
dissolution  she  writes  to  the  aged  minister,  who,  during  her  resi- 
dence in  London,  had  been  the  means  of  communicating  estab- 
lished peace  to  her  soul — '  Blessed  be  myall-sufficient  Saviour,  that, 
accepted  in  Him,  a  few  months  more  or  less  can  make  no  great 
difference  :  "  Neither  life  nor  death  can  separate  us  from  his  love."  '^ 
On  one  occasion,  after  expressing  her  earnest  longing  to  depart,  she 
checked  herself  and  added — '  But  lam  iLnlUng  to  sit  here  a  hun- 
dred or  a  thousand  years,  if  it  he  the  icill  of  God? 

Her  mind  maintained  its  vigorous  character  in  the  midst  of  her 
protracted  sufferings.  The  subjects  of  her  conversation  were  usually 
of  a  highly  interesting  character.  She  would  often  speak  with 
considerable  clearness,  combined  with  deep  humility,  of  the  more 
mysterious  parts  of  revelation,  such  as  the  distinct  Persons  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  ;  the  person  and  glory  of  Christ :  the  ministry  of  an- 
gels ;  the  state  of  separate  spirits;  the  prospects  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  no  particular  details  of  these 
conversations  are  preserved.  The  resurrection  and  future  glory  of 
the  body  were  favorite  subjects  with  her.  She  delighted  to  dwell 
upon  1  Cor.  xv.  '  What  a  wonderful  change' — she  observed  on  one 
occasion — 'takes  place  in  nature  in  the  acorn,  which  from  so  small 
and  insignificant  a  seed  afterwards  expands  and  grows  into  a  noble 
tree,  the  glory  of  the  forest !  What  a  remarkable  transformation 
also  is  that  of  the  caterpillar,  which,  after  having  been  changed 
into  apparently  dead  matter,  at  the  appointed  time  bursts  its  shell, 
and  becomes  a  beautiful  winged  insect !  Had  we  not  witnessed 
such  changes,  we  should  not  have  believed  them  possible.  But 
having  seen  them  in  nature,  shall  we  doubt  the  possibility  of  that 

I  Rom.  viii.  38,  39. 


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MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

great  change,  which  will  take  place  at  the  resurrection  day,  when 
"  this  vile  body  shall  be  fashioned  like  unto  the  glorious  body"  of 
our  Lord  ?'' 

For  a  short  time,  however,  before  her  death,  the  enemy  was  per- 
mitted to  harass  her  soul,  and  her  lively  apprehensions  of  the  Gos- 
pel- were  occasionally  obscured.  At  one  of  these  times  she  said  to 
iier  Jiiinister,  '  Christ  is  not  so  precious  to  me  as  he  deserves.'  '  No,' 
— it  was  replied — '  he  is  so  to  none.'  '  But' — she  added — '  he  "  feeds 
me  with  food  convenient  for  me,'^  though  I  do  not  experience  those 
spiritual  enjoyments  I  so  ardently  long  for.'  Of  a  distressing  season 
of  temptation  which  happened  about  this  time,  her  minister  writes 
— '1  shall  never  forget  the  state  of  her  mind.  It  seemed  as  if  "a 
horror  of  great  darkness  had  fallen  upon  her."^  '  Oh' — she  said — 
'I  cannot  pray ;  lean  only  utter  words.  It  is  mere  wind.'  She 
earnestly  called  upon  me  to  slrengtlien  her,  by  repeating  the  prom- 
ises of  the  Gospel.  God  at  that  time  seemed  to  give  me  words. 
For  when  I  scarcely  knew  what  to  say,  words  of  effectual  consola- 
tion were  put  into  my  mouth.  Once  in  her  impatience  to  hear  the 
word,  she  exclaimed — '  Oh,  say  something  to  me  from  God — whether 
a  word  of  comfort  or  reproof  I  think  of  that  proverb — "The  full 
soul  loatheth  the  honeycomb  ;  but  to  the  hungry  soul  every  hitter 
thing  is  siveet.^"^  At  these  times  of  '-needful  heaviness,  through 
manifold  temptations,"  while  "  walking  in  darkness,  and  having  no 
light,"  she  was,  however,  manifestly  enabled  to  "trust  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  and  to  stay  upon  her  God."*  She  could  not  enjoy  the 
full  manifestation  of  her  God,  which  she  had  known  in  times  past 
— '  Yet  though' — she  said — '  I  cannot  love  God  with  that  warmth 
which  I  so  earnestly  desire,  I  can  act  faith  upon  Him.'  She  com- 
plained much  of  deadness  in  prayer.  Yet,  her  faith  was  in  exer- 
cise, upholding  her  soul  upon  the  sure  word  of  promise,  that  her 
Lord  would  return  to  her  in  his  own  best  time.  She  would  at  such 
seasons  cheer  her  soul,  by  repeating  suitable  promises.  "  When  the 
poor  and  needy  seek  for  water,  and  there  is  none,  and  their  tongue 
faileth  them  for  thirst,  I  the  Lord  will  hear  them  ;  I  the  God  of 
Jacob  will  not  forsake  them."'^  On  this  encouraging  promise  she 
rested  in  one  of  her  seasons  of  distress  and  desertion.  At  another 
time  she  would  say — "  Rejoice  not  against  me,  O  mine  enemy  : 
when  I  fall,  I  shall  arise ;  when  I  sit  in  darkness,  the  Liord  shall  be 
a  light  unto  me."^  And  again — "  The  Lord  my  God  shall  en- 
lighten my  darkness.'"^  At  these  times  of  trial,  the  book  of  Canti- 
cles was  much  upon  her  mind.  "  By  night  I  sought  my  Beloved, 
but  I  found  him  not.''  Then  she  added — '  but  I  sought  not  in  vain.' 
She  appeared  to  be  at  this  time  much  enlivened  in  speaking  of  her 
Saviour  as  represented  under  the  figure. of  the  bridegroom.  'He 
loves  us  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  seeks  after  us  ;  he  desires — he 
delights  in  us' — all  which  is  to  be  seen  in  this  wonderful  portion  of 

1  Phil.  Hi.  21.  2  Genesis  xv.  12.  3  Prov.  xxvii.  7. 

*  1  Peter  i.  G.  with  Isaiah  1.  10.  s  Isaiah  xli.  17. 

s  Micah  vii.  8.  '  Psalm  xviii.  28. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  203 

Scripture.  At  another  of  these  times  she  remarked,  that  often  in 
the  experience  of  the  Lord's  servants,  a  season  of  darkness  had  pre- 
ceded some  special  manifestation  of  his  love.  Thus,  as  she  observed, 
'Jacob  wrestled  a  whole  night ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  daybreak 
that  the  angel  revealed  hin)self '  Thus  for  a  while  our  Lord  seemed 
to  disregard  the  cry  of  the  Canaanitish  woman ;  but  the  "  trial  of 
her  faith  was"  eventually  "  found  to  praise,  and  honor,  and  glory."- 
Thus  also  the  disconsolate  state  of  the  disciples  in  their  journey  to 
Emmaus  was  the  prelude  and  harbinger  of  a  blessed  display  of  their 
Master's  light  and  love.'' 

The  dark  clouds  which  "  for  a  small  moment"*  had  been  per- 
mitted to  spread  themselves  over  her  soul,  were,  however,  shortly 
dispelled  ;  and  "  at  evening  time  it  was  light."^  Her  extreme 
weakness  indeed  prevented  her  utterance  ;  but  the  few  words  that 
could  be  gathered  from  her,  were  descriptive  of  the  peace  and  joy 
that  reigned  within.'  '  My  \yeakness,'  she  said,  '  reposes  on  his 
strength — my  folly  on  his  wisdom.'  When  her  minister,  in  allusion 
to  her  late  painful  exercises,  observed,  '  God  was  "  leading  her  by 
the  right  way  to  the  city  of  habitation,"  '  she  replied,  '  Oh  !  yes— 
but  how  different  is  the  case  of  those,  who  "  wander  in  the  wilder- 
ness in  a  solitary  way,  and^ncZ  no  city  to  dwell  in  !"  "^  In  the  last 
visit  of  this  beloved  attendant,  she  said  to  him,  '  God  is  the  rock  of 
my  salvation.'  Then  speaking  of  her  being  detained  in  her  earthly 
tabernacle,  she  added,  '  It  is  a  comfort  to  think  that  "  Christ  has  the 
keys  of  death  and  hell."^  All  is  well.  May  God  be  with  you 
during  the  remainder  of  your  pilgrimage  !  I  can  only  he  as  an  in- 
fant in  the  hands  of  God.' 

Her  bodily  sufferings  at  the  last  period  were  most  severe,  arising 
from  a  complication  of  diseases.  Her  lung^,  which  had  been  sup- 
posed to  be  sound,  were  discovered  after  her  death  to  have  been 
fatally  diseased.  Her  heart  also  was  found  to  be  enlarged.  Her 
weakness  and  inability  to  recline  for  so  many  weeks,  produced 
dropsy  in  her  feet  and  legs.  This  was,  however,  from  time  to  time 
relieved  by  incision.  Her  life  terminated  at  last  by  a  rapid  mortifi- 
cation in  one  of  her  legs.  The  last  day  of  her  life  was  a  day  of 
intense  agony.  She  was  obliged  to  take  doses  of  opium,  which 
before  she  could  not  touch,  so  that  the  day  and  night,  till  she 
expired,  were  passed  in  a  doze,  or  in  the  most  violent  suffering.  A 
few  words  only  were  preserved  at  this  affecting  crisis.  A  day  or  two 
before  her  death,  she  cried,  '  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly ; 
"  nevertheless  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done." '  At  another  time, 
speaking  of  "  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed,"  she  exclaimed, 
"  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard  ;  neither  have  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  him."5  Alluding  to  those  who  watched  by  her  side,  she  said, 
'  What  a  comfort  that  we  are  not  watching  alone !     "  He   that 

1  Canticles  iii.  1 .     Genesis  xxxii.  24,  25.        2  Matthew  xv.  22—28,  with  1  Peter  i.  7. 
3  Luke  xxiv.  17-34.  "  Isa.  liv.  7.  s  Zech.  xiv  7. 

6  Psalm  cvii.  7,  with  4.  ^  Rev.  i.  18.  8  i  Cor.  u.  9. 


204  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep.""  Then  again, 
shortly  after,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed."^  Then  again,  in  a 
moment  of  excruciating  suffering,  to  her  mother, '  Pray  for  me,  that 
my  patience  may  not  fail  me  at  the  last.'  The  last  words  she  was 
heard  to  utter  before  her  death  in  a  moment  of  deep  agony,  were, 
'I  am  come  into  deep  waters  ;  O  God  my  rock,  ''  hold  thou  me  up, 
and  I  shall  be  safe." '  The  next  morning,  on  Friday,  December  10, 
1830,  without  a  sigh  or  struggle,  she  entered  into  her  eternal  rest. 
Thus  upheld  by  the  good  hope  of  the  Gospel— thus  having  dis- 
played in  lovely  concord  the  diversified  graces  of  the  Christian  pro- 
fession— thus  having  been  abundantly  refreshed  by  the  consolations 
of  Christ — this  blessed  sufferer — this  ransomed  sinner — this  victori- 
ous believer  fell  asleep  in  the  arms  of  her  Saviour  and  her  God. 
She  heard,  and  gladly  obeyed  the  call  of  her  Lord,  "  '  Come  up 
hither."     Lay  down  the  cross,  and  take  the  crown.' 

"To  HIM  THAT  OVERCOMETH  WILL  I  GRANT  TO  SIT  WITH 
ME  IN  MY  THRONE,  EVEN  AS  I  ALSO  OVERCAME,  AND  AM  SET 
DOWN    WITH    MY    FaTHER    IN    HIS    THRONE."^ 

'  Psalm  cxxi.  4.  2  2  Timothy  i.  12.  3  Rgv.  iii.  21. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


REMARKS. 

The  writer,  in  bringing  this  interesting  sketch  to  a  close,  ventures 
to  crave  further  indulgence  of  his  reader,  in  drawing  out  a  few  points 
of  important  and  suitable  application. 

I.  The  review  of  Miss  Graham''s  painful^  though  temporary, 
apostasy  marks  the  great  moment  of  being  toeU-grounded  in  the 
elementary  principles  of  tlie  Gospel.  A  few  hints  niay  be  here 
suggested  to  the  inquiring  and  serious  mind.  First,  the  danger  of 
a  cavilling  temper.  Here  lurks  the  first  rising  of  the  spirit  of 
infidehty.  "  Miss  Graham's  natural  character  was  especially  open  to 
this  temptation.  Indeed,  this  is  the  fleshly  indulgence  of  every 
intellectual  mind  undi?ciplined  by  the  principles  of  the  Gospel.  It 
gratifies  the  love  of  distinction.  It  is  the  worship  of  self,  that  worst 
idol,  that  most  subtle  enemy  of  vital  religion.  "  Vain  man  2Coiild 
be  wise,  though  man  be  born  like  a  wild  ass's  colf,'"^  is  the  inspired 
and  pointed  illustration  of  the  folly  and  littleness  of  this  natural 
principle  of  the  heart.  Solid  satisfaction  and  rest  in  the  scriptural 
revelation  will  only  be  found  in  cultivating  what  Calvin  wisely 
calls,  'a  kind  of  learned  ignorance,'^  a  well-instructed  contentment 
to  be  ignorant  of  what  God  has  forborne  to  declare.  But  to  begin 
with  the  speculative  instead  of  the  practical  truths  of  revelation,  and 
to  insist  upon  an  explanation  of  its  difficulties,  as  a  pre-requisite  to 
the  acknowledgment  of  its  authority,  and  personal  application  of 
its  truths — this  spirit  resists  faith,  the  appointed  medium  of  divine 
hght;  and  thus  gives  to  infidelity  all  its  force,  and  leaves  the  heart 
the  unconscious  victim  of  its  own  delusions.  The  more  we  are 
disentangled  from  speculative  inquiries,  and  occupied  in  the  pursuit 
of  scriptural  truth,  the  more  settled  will  be  our  conviction  of  the 
genuineness  of  the  testimony,  and  our  consequent  enjoyment  of  its 
privileges.  Let  us  not,  therefore,  trifle  with  temptation,  by  suffering 
the  objections  of  a  cavilling  infidelity  to  "  lodge  within  us."     Let  us 

i  Job  xi.  12. 
2  Instit.  Book  iii.  chap.  xxi.  §  2.  In  a  subsequent  allusion  to  the  subject,  he  justly 
denominates  the  eager  appetite  for  hidden  knowledge  to  be  '  a  species  of  madness,'  c. 
xxiii.  §  8.  In  the  same  spirit  our  admirable  Hooker  remarks — '  Dangerous  it  were 
for  the  feeble  brain  of  man  to  wade  far  into  the  doings  of  the  Most  High ;  whom,  although 
to  know  be  life,  and  joy  to  make  mention  of  his  name,  yet  our  soundest  knowledge  is,  to 
know  that  we  know  him  not  as  indeed  he  is,  neither  can  know  him  ;  and  our  safest  elo- 
quence concerning  him  is  our  silence,  when  we  confess  without  confession,  that  his  glory 
is  inexy)licable,  his  greatness  above  our  capacity  and  reach.  He  is  above  and  we  upon 
earth,  therefore  it  behooveth  our  words  to  be  wary  and  few.'  And  again — '  That  little 
(of  the  law  of  the  Divine  Government)  which  we  darkly  apprehend,  we  admire ;  the 
rest  with  religious  ignorance  we  humbly  and  meekly  adore.'    Book  i.  §  2. 


206  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

instantly  bring  them  to  the  test  of  conscience,  "to  the  law  and  to 
the  testimony ."1  Thus  let  us  "resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee 
from  us."* 

Secondly — roe  would  inculcate  an  implicit  faith  in  the  divine 
record.  And  here  we  trace  the  source  of  ^11?  the  sin  and  misery, 
that  have  deluged  the  world  for  nearly  six  thousand  years.  God's 
unchangeable  declaration^"  Thou  shalt  surely  die" — was  diluted 
to  an  uncertainty.3  Thus  when  confidence  in  the  word  of  God  was 
weakenefl,  Satan's  lie  easily  prevailed.  On  the  other  hand,  how 
fully  did  Miss  Graham's  unreserved  reliance  on  the  promise — "Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you" — recover  her  fine  mind  to  its  true  posi- 
tion ;  intrenched  upon  the  supreme  authority  of  Scripture  ;  prostrate 
in  a  sense  of  her  ignorance;  honoring  her  God,  and  honored  by 
him,  in  a  trembling  reverential  submission  to  his  word  !*  How 
many  cavilling  questions  arise  in  the  defect  of  this  spirit !  The 
difficulties  which  cannot  be  presently  explained  are  considered 
reasonable  grounds  for  unbelief.  Man  under  the  pretence  of  a  desire 
to  satisfy  his  doubts,  rebels  against  what  he  does  not  understand, 
and  begins  to  "  reply  against  God."^  But  in  fact  we  want  not  more 
hght,  but  more  humility.  Herein  consists  the  important  dilierence 
between  the  caviller  and  the  sincere  inquirer.  The  one  questions, 
speculates,  and  Is  dissatisfied.  The  other,  in  the  consciousness  of 
his  "blindness,"  is  willing  to  be  "brought  by  a  way  that  he  knew 
not,  and  to  be  led  in  paths  that  he  had  not  known."^  He  follows 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  like  his  father  Abraham 
under  the  direction  of  Providence,"  step  by  step  in  implicit  faith. 
He  asks  not— "How  can  these  things  be  ?«  But—"  Thus  saith  the 
Lord"  determines  all  his  difficulties  without  gainsaying.  And  this 
practical  acknowledgment  of  the  supremacy  of  Scripture  is  the  just 
demand  of  God.  We  must  not,  according  to  the  principles  of 
Neology,  degrade  the  authority  of  his  word,  by  subjecting  it  to  trial 
at  the  bar  of  reason.  We  must  not  descend  from  our  high  vantage 
position  of  faith,  to  the  lower  ground  of  disputation.  This  inversion 
of  the  respective  offices  of  reason  and  faith  casts  down  God  from  his 
throne,  and  turns  our  light  into  darkness.  Reason  must  indeed  be 
exercised  in  examing  the  credeiitials  of  the  revelation  ;  for  to  re- 
ceive an  unauthenticated  testimony  is  credulity,  not  faith;  and 
scepticism  is  less  culpable  than  unwarranted  belief  But  the  creden- 
tials being  once  established,  we  are  bound  to  receive  its  contents 
with  the  most  implicit  submission.  Having  once  therefore  admitted 
the  divine  claim  of  Scripture,  we  must  yield  to  it  our  unreserved 
homage.  ^  The  question  is  not— 'What  thinkest  thou?'— but— 
"How  readest  thou?"^  This  is  the  humility  of  faith— the  child- 
like spirit  of  the  Gospel — the  evidence  of  the  conversion  of  the  heart 
to  God.     "  Whosoever  shall"  thus  "  humble  himself  as  a  little  child, 

'  Isa.  viii.  20.  1  James  iv.  7.  3  Gen.  ii.  17 ;  iii.  3. 

<  See  chap.  ii.  and  comp.  Isaiali  Ixvi.  2.  s  Rom  ix.  20. 

«  Lsaiali  xlii.  IG.  7  Heb.  xi.  8.  s  John  iii.  9. 

9  Luke  X.  2G. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  207 

the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven."'  The  enriching 
light  of  heavenly  teaching  dispels  many  difficulties  of  the  reasoning 
mind.  "  If  the  eye  be  single,  the  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  hght."- 
'•  Sitting  with  Mary  at  Jesus'  feet,"  and  "  learning  of  our  meek  and 
lowly"  teacher,  we  "shall  find" — instead  of  uncertainty,  confusion, 
and  wretchedness — "  rest  unto  our  souls." 

Thirdly — we  would  impress  the  importance  of  a  solid  experi- 
ence of  the  poioer  of  the  Gospel  upon  the  heart.  When  the  objec- 
tions against  Christianity  are  fairly  answered,  the  main  hindrance 
to  its  reception  yet  remain.  I'here  is  a  strong  connection  l)etween 
the  speculative  principle  of  infidelity,  and  the  "evil  heart  of  unbe- 
lief."^ Unbelief  is  the  disease — not  of  the  understanding — but  of 
the  heart.  It  comprehends  the  "  fulfilling  of  the  desires  of  the  flesh 
and  of  the  mindJ'^  In  the  one  case  it  is  the  love  of  sin  resisting 
the  holiness  of  the  Gospel.  In  tlie  other  case  it  is  (as  we  have  just 
illustrated  the  points)  the  unsubdued  pride  of  the  heart  rejecting 
the  humility  of  the  Gospel.  A  full  and  practical  reception  of  the 
truth  of  God  is  therefore  a  powerful  defence  against  the  subtle  and 
encroaching  enemy.  It  was  a  defect  in  this  point,  that  exposed 
Miss  Graham  to  the  baneful  influence  of  her  investigating  mind. 
Her  early  principles  of  religion,  though  sincere,  were  not  inwrought 
in  her  soul  in  deep  and  permanent  influence.  This  unfixed  charac- 
ter formed  therefore  an  ineffective  safeguard  in  the  atmosphere  of 
powerful  temptation.  Her  neglect  of  pnver  threw  her  off  for  a 
while  from  her  dependence  upon  God.  Her  doulits  thickened  upon 
her.  The  strength  of  her  soul  was  paralyzed.  1'he  enemy  was  at 
the  door,  and  took  advantage  of  her  loss  of  inward  perception  to 
gain  a  temporary  ascendency.  However  strong  and  satisfactory  is 
the  external  evidence  of  the  Gospel ;  yet  we  want  the  apprehension 
and  proof  of  its  adaptation  to  our  necessities,  to  endear  and  establish 
it  to  us  in  all  the  strength  of  sensible  demonstration.  When  "  the 
Gospel  comes  in  power,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  then  does  it  come 
XDith  mvch  assurance.  "  He  that  believeth  hath  the  witness  in 
himself. ^'^     Tlie  transforming  power  of  the  Gospel  into  the  divine 

1  Matt,  xviii.  3,  4.  2  Ibid.  vi.  23 

3  Luke  X.  39.  Matt.  xi.  29.  We  are  tempted  here  to  give  one  further  quotation  from 
Miss  Graham's  Manuscript.  Speaking  of  Locke's  Doctrines  of  Intermediate  Principles, 
(i.  e.  principles  established  upon  acknowledged  axioms,  as  a  step  to  further  advance  in 
knowledge,)  she  adds— 'To  the  confirmed  Christian,  the  Bible  is  a  repository  of  such 
'  intermediate  principles.'  Once  convinced  thnt  it  is  the  word  of  God,  its  truths  become 
the  axiom,  to  which  he  refers  in  the  establishment  of  every  religious  sentiment.  They 
are  his  data,  his  well-established  propositions,  from  which  he  admits  of  no  appeal.  He 
studies  their  meaning  under  a  divine  Teacher,  who  gives  him  "  line  upon  line,  and  pre- 
cept upon  precept."  Under  his  sacred  guidance  he  is  enabled  to  "learn  the  rudiments 
of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  and  to  go  on  to  perfection."     Heb.  vi.  1. 

'Happy  is  the  unlettered  Christian,  who  loves  his  Bible.  He  is  in  possession  of  a  set 
of  intermediate  incontrovertible  principles,  for  want  of  which,  the  wise  and  learned  of 
this  world  are  thrown  back  in  their  researches  after  truth.  He  shall  "  understand  more 
than  the  ancients,  because  he  keeps  the  testimonies  of  his  God."  Psalm  cxix.  100.  Nor 
must  the  learned  Christian  hope  for  an  equal  degree  of  felicity,  unless  he  can  bring  all 
his  human  attainments  into  a  blessed  subservience  to  the  knowledge  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus." 

<  Heb.  iii.  12.  5  Eph.  ii.  3.  6  Thess.  i.  5.     1  John  v.  10. 


208  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

image  is  the  most  decisive  evidence  of  its  divine  origin  ;  and  this  is 
an  evidence  which  is  always  present  with  us  ;  connected  with  all 
our  Christian  hahits  of  tliought  and  practical  life  ;  and  accumulating 
in  weight  of  testimony,  in  every  successive  instance  of  its  efficacy 
throughout  the  world.  The  unheliever  therefore  (for  this  is  the 
ri;al  character  of  the  merely  nominal  professor  of  the  Bible)  enters 
into  conflict  with  the  inlidel  at  serious  disadvantage.  He  may 
probaliiy  be  inferior  to  his  opponent  in  power  of  reasoning,  and 
siibtiky  of  argumentation.  He  may  be  unfurnished  with  a  distri- 
butive view  of  the  historical  evidence  of  the  Gospel,  to  repel  the 
attacks  that  are  made  upon  it ;  and,  being  unable  to  strengthen  his 
points  by  the  demonstrable  evidence  of  his  own  senses,  he  is  in  great 
danger  of  being  shaken  from  the  first  principles  of  his  faith.  Or 
even  supposing  him  to  be  on  equal  terms  with  his  adversary — well 
furnislied  with  an  outward  coat  of  armor;  yet  if  his  interior  be  not 
defended  by  "  the  whole  armor  of  God, '  the  poisoned  arrows  may 
find  an  entrance  into  his  inmost  soul.  If  he  be  ignorant  of  the 
spiritual  blessings  of  the  Gospel,  he  can  have  but  a  very  imperfect 
conviction  of  the  importance  of  its  principles.  They  hang  loosely 
about  him.  There  is  a  want  of  energy  in  the  grasp  to  "  hold  them 
fast ;"  and  not  being  "  grounded  and  settled  in  the  faith,"  never 
having  had  a  real  possession  of  "  the  hope  of  the  Gospel,"  he  cannot 
be  secure  against  being  "moved  away  fiom"  the  profession  of  it. 
His  indecision  is  the  fiist  step  to  apostasy,  and  should  it  proceed  to 
this  uhimate  point,  it  is  only  his  just  punishment  for  neglecting  to 
walk  closely  and  humbly  witli  his  God.  It  is  tlierefore  most 
difficult  for  him  to  keep  the  field  at  all  points  against  the  infidel 
upon  the  lower  ground  of  external  argument.  For  though  we  pro- 
test against  the  supposition  of  any  vulnerable,  or  even  debatable 
points  on  the  side  of  Christianity  ;  yet  the  strength  of  the  infidel 
side,  as  we  have  just  hinted,  bears  upon  his  opponent  with  niio'hty 
infiuence  connected  with  the  appetites  of  his  own  heart.  Thus 
man  becomes  not  only  a  rebel  against  his  God,  but  a  traitor  to  him- 
self, and  the  murderer  of  his  own  happiness.  Living,  therefore, 
without  prayer— we  should  assay  to  go  to  the  intellectual  conflict 
with  armor  that  we  have  not  proved,  and  therefore  that  would 
render  us  but  uncertain  protection.'  Unexercised  in  the  "  faith"  of 
the  Gospel,  we  cast  away  the  only  "  shield,  whereby  we  could 
(luencli  the  fiery  darts  of  tlie  wicked  one."^  In  proportion  to  the 
practical  influence  of  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  will  be  our  intelli- 
gent conviction  of  their  divine  origin.  A  holy  taste  will  enable  us 
to  receive  the  evidence  of  Cluistian  truth.  In  every  step  of  spiritual 
religion  will  the  invisible  realities  of  the  Gospel  be  embodied  and 
appropriated.  The  light  to  discover  their  external  evidence  will  be 
thus  increased  by  the  removal  of  a  counteracting  internal  bias  ;  and 
the  believer,  retreating  into  a  heavenly  atmosphere  of  communion 

1  See  1  Sam.  xvii.  39.  .  2  Eph.  vi.  16. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  209 

with  God,  will  be  little  disturbed  by  speculative  doubts — '■'■Thou  art 
my  hiding-place  avdmy  shield  ;  I  hope  in  thy  word^^ 

Lastly — let  the  mind  be  iu formed,  expanded,  strengthened  in  its 
posiliony  by  an  intelligent  acquaintance  with  some  of  our  most  val- 
uable treatises  upon  the  evidences  of  Christianity — those  most  espe- 
cially, that  connect  the  testimony  of  internal  perception  with  exter- 
nal proof.-  Thus  covered  at  all  points  of  intellectual  or  spiritual 
warfare  "with  the  armor  of  rigliteousness  on  the  right  hand  and 
on  the  left"*  the  siinple-uiinded  Christian  will  "be  ready  always  to 
give  an  answer  to  every  man  that  asketh  him  a  reason  of  the  hope 
that  is  in  him,  with  meekness  and  fear."* 

II.  We  would  mark  from  this  Memoir  the  high  hnportance  of 
a  settled  profession  of  the  Gospel.  We  have  already  seen  the  rich 
and  matured  character  of  Miss  Graham's  doctrinal  sentiments. 
Hers  was  not  the  religion  of  feeling,  (though  her  feelings  were  pow- 
erfully engaged,)  but  of  solid,  intelligent  conviction.  There  was  no 
excitement  of  impulse  or  imagination — no  love  of  novelty — but  a 
contentment  in  solid,  scriptural,  and  practical  views  of  Divine  truth. 
Here  was  a  groundwork  for  that  steady  consistency  of  profession,  in 
which  she  was  enabled  to  serve  her  God  and  Saviour  with  accept- 
ance and  usefulness.  It  would  be  a  painful  investigation  to  trace 
the  various  causes  and  symptoms  of  that  unsettled  aspect  of  religion, 
which  the  present  state  of  the  church  so  largely  exhibits.  Too  of- 
ten we  find  the  prof ession  to  he  of  a  svperficiaL  and  therefore  of  an 
iininjliicntial  cliaracter.  A  susceptible  temperament  opens  the 
door  to  self-delusion.  The  religion  of  the  imagination  is  substituted 
for  the  religion  of  the  heart.  Sentimentalism  captivates  the  mind 
by  a  sort  of  confused  ideal  sublimity.  Unorganized  excitement  is 
mistaken  for  solid  practical  principle.  External  separation  from  the 
world  is  identified  with  the  spiritual  love  of  holiness.  A  habit  of 
serious  thought  and  partial  reformation  is  commenced  without  any 
defined  motive  or  object.  Hence,  when  the  tetnporary  impulse  has 
subsided,  the  baseless  fabric  resting  upon  it  begins  to  shake.  The 
religion  of  novelty  and  interest  becomes  irksome  drudgery,  without 
any  spring  of  activity  or  privilege.  The  peace  and  joy,  which  had 
been  anticipated  as  the  immediate  result  of  a  certain  train  of  feel- 
ings, ends  in  disappointment:  and  the  "goodness"  which  had  no 
connection  with  tenderness  of  heart,  humility,  and  faith,  "passes 
away  as  the  morning  cloud  and  the  early  dew."^  The  man  who 
had  been  living  upon  notions,  doctrines,  and  feelings — not  upon  re- 

'  Psalm  cxix.  114.  The  following  important  advice  sriven  by  a  College  Tutor  to  his 
young  men  is  well  worthy  ot"  seiious  attention.  '  Von  should  not  forget,  that  the  only 
sure  preservative  against  infidelity  is  a  substardial  practical  regard  to  our  holy  religion  in 
all  its  principles  and  duties.  And  this  is  that  armor  of  light,  in  which  I  wish  both  myself 
and  you  to  be  clothed,  that  we  may  "  fight  the  good  light,"  and  at  length  "  receive  that 
crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away.'" — Memoir  of  Rev.  Thomas  Lloyd,  late  Tutor  of 
King's  College,  p.  GO. 

2  Such  IS  the  Bishop  of  Chester's  Treatise — the  Lectures  of  the  Bishops  of  Calcutta 
and  Ohio— Dr.  O.  Gregory's  Letters — and  a  valuable  Manual  by  Mr.  Joseph  John 
Gurney^'  Hints  on  the  Portable  Evidence  of  Christianity.' 

3  2  Corinthians  vi.  7.  ■'1  Peter  iii.  15.  ^  j  Hoseavi.  4. 

14 


210  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

alities — sinks  down  into  the  character  of  a  dry,  heartless  professor, 
with  no  j^enuine  response  to  the  vitahty  of  godhness. 

Of  others  again  we  would  speak  loith  special  tenderness,  while 
we  are  constrained  to  consider  them  as  wanderers  from  "  the  old 
path,"'  where  tl»e  church  of  God  has  hitherto  found  "  rest,'"  refresh- 
ment, and  estabhshment.  But  we  cannot  view  without  the  deepest 
concern  the  attempt  now  made  by  true  disciples  of  Christ  (for  such 
undoubtedly  are  many  of  those  to  whom  we  allude)  to  degrade  the 
Son  of  God  to  a  sinful  participation  and  sympathy  with  our  nature. 
We  feel  bound  to  protest  against  that  '  great  truth,'  now  for  the  first 
time  opened  to  the  church — that  believers  in  this  life  of  sin  and  im- 
perfection attain  at  least  equal  communion  with  their  God,  and  par- 
ticipation of  Divine  influence  with  their  heavenly  Saviour.'  Thus  is 
the  child  of  fallen  Adam  complete  in  himself,  not  in  his  Saviour. 
He  needs  no  exercise  of  contrition — no  application  to  the  blood  of 
the  atonement  for  his  daily  deficiencies — no  High  Priest  to  "'  bear 
the  iniquities  of  his  holy  things."  The  plenary  baptism  of  the  Spirit 
precludes  the  need  of  an  atoning  and  interceding  Saviour  for  pres- 
sent  deficiencies  and  defilements,  and  perfects  what  is  called  an 
holiness  in  the  flesh — -an  inherent  righteousness,  which  blots  out  the 
character  of  sinners,  and  obscures  the  glory  of  the  righteousness  of 
the  Redeemer,  as  the  exclusive  ground  of  justification  before  God.' 

If  we  look  for  the  external  seal  of  these  anti-scriptural  doctrines, 
it  will  be  found  in  the  exhibition  of  certain  tongues  (dissimilar  from 
the  primitive  manifestations,  because  unknown,  and  therefore,  un- 
fruitful to  the  church^)  connected  with  impulses  of  an  extraordinary 

'  Jeremiah  vi.  16. 

2  'The  great  truth,'  which  Mr.  Irving  opens  to  us,  we  will  state  in  his  own  words, — 
'  that  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  doth  bring  to  every  believer  the  presence  of  the 
Father,  and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  according  to  that  measure  at  least,  in  which 
Christ  during  the  days  of  his  flesh  proposed  the  same.'  The  day  of  Pentecost,  p.  39. 
This  communication  he  immediately  expounds  to  be  the  '  Divine  nature,  (alluding  to  2 
Peter  i.  4),  which  was  intended  from  the  beginning  for  man  ;  and  which  can  mean  noth- 
ing less  in  the  Scriptural  acceptation  than  perfect  and  essential  holiness,'  (Kph.  iv.  24. 
1  John  i.  5.)  Indeed  Mr.  I.'s  subsequent  explanation  includes  spiritual  grace  as  well  as 
miraculous  powers,  p.  55.  The  reader  may  see  the  confirmation  of  this  bold  statement, 
and  of  the  inferences  legitimately  deduced  from  it,  in  a  remarkable  '  Narrative  of  Facts, 
by  Robert  Baxter.'  (Pp.  102 — 116,  124 — 126.) — a  truly  Christian  acknowledgment  of 
Divine  mercy  in  recovery  from  delusion,  and  an  exposition  of  the  subtle  causes  connected 
with  its  origin. 

i  That  the  Primitive  Tongues  were  known,  and  therefore  fruitful,  is  proved  from  the 
history  of  the  day  of  Pentecost  (Acts  ii.  3 — 11.),  from  the  corresponding  manifestation  to 
Cornelius  and  his  company  (Acts  xi.  18),  and  from  St.  Paul's  statement  of  his  own  gift, 
evidently  vouchsafed  to  ficilitate  his  missionary  work.  (1  Cor.  xiv.  15.)  It  will  hardly 
be  pretended  that  two  different  dispensations  of  tongues  were  vouchsafed.  Sec  the 
Apostle's  decision  upon  the  unfruitfulness  of  unknown  tongues.  (I  Cor.  xiv.  9 — 19) 
If  the  interpolation  '  unknown,'  were  removed  from  our  version,  the  simple  translation 
would  be  '  languages.^  We  may  remark  one  striking  discrepancy  between  the  apostolical 
and  the  modern  manifestations  of  gifts.  In  the  former  case  they  were  largely  bestowed 
upon  ministers,  as  the  credentials  of  their  commission.  In  the  present  time  they  are 
confined  to  members  of  the  congregation,  who  thus  virtually  take  the  precedence  of  their 
ministers;  inasmuch  as  an  immediate  revelation,  being  the  present  voice  of  God  in  and 
to  the  church,  obviously  commands  higher  authority  than  the  more  ordinary  channels  of 
Divine  communication.  Thus  the  inward  revelation  may  take  the  place  of  the  written 
word;  females  often  occupy  the  dignity  and  responsibility  of  the  sacred  office;  and  by 
an  inversion  of  the  .scriptural  rule  and  order  (M:d.  ii.  7.)  ministers  sit  at  the  feet  of  their 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 


^1 


character,  both  of  which  have  been  confessed  by  some  of  the  most 
accredited  subjects  to  have  been  the  offspring  of  delusion.  Does  not 
all  this  almost  seem  to  give  a  prophetic  character  to  the  Apostolic 
caution—"  I  fear,  lest  by  any  means,  as  the  serpent  beguiled  Eve 
through  his  subtlety,  so  your  minds  should  be  corrupted  from  the 
simplicity  that  is  in  Christ  ?"^  That  these  doctrines  come  not  from 
Christ  is  manifest  from  their  obvious  tendency  to' exalt  self,  and  to 
stain  the  unspotted  holiness  of  our  Divine  Saviour.  That  they  are 
not  the  fruit  of  the  unction  of  the  Spirit,  is  equally  clear  from  their 
results,  in  obscuring  the  light  and  authority  of  Scripture  by  some 
super-induced  credentials,  and  thus  confounding  "the  spirit  of  truth" 
in  the  world,  and  "  the  spirit  of  error'"^  in  the  new  revelation.  That 
as  novelties  they  have  no  stabiMty,  we  are  encouraged  to  beheve, 
from  the  gracious  deliverance  that  has  been  manifested  to  some, 
who  were  fast  bound  under  their  seductive  influence  ;  while  those 
who  are  yet  beguiled  claim  (though  perhaps  they  may  not  thank 
us  for  putting  forth  the  claim)  our  sympathy,  forbearance,  and 
prayer. 

What  are  wanted  on  all  sides  as  the  basis  of  an  established  pro- 
fession, are,  first,  hrokenness  and  contrition  of  heart.  Here,  as  we 
before  observed.  Miss  Graham's  deficiency  exposed  her  to  "the  snare 
of  the  devil."  Not  being  deeply  impressed  with  the  sense  of  her 
own  vileness,  she  could  not  lie  low  enough  before  her  God  to  receive 
his  pure  and  heavenly  light  in  her  soul.  He  was  therefore  pleased 
to  humble  her  thoroughly,  till  he  had  brought  her  to  his  feet ;  that 
happiest,  lowest,  yet  most  exalted  place  for  a  redeemed  sinner. 
What  .Tob  learnt  in  his  prostrate  frame  of  humiliation,  made  all  the 
former  attainments  of  this  "perfect  man"  of  God  appear  as  nothing 
in  his  eyes. 3  And  indeed  there  is  much  to  be  acquired  in  a  self- 
abasing  walk  with  God,  and  in  a  well-digested  study  of  our  hearts, 
before  there  can  be  any  capacity  for  receiving  a  scriptural  appre- 
hension of  the  doctrines,  that  are  the  matter  of  present  controversy 
in  the  church.  The  decided  views  on  these  subjects,  that  are  some- 
limes  received  at  an  early,  and  perhaps  uncertain,  stage  of  the 
Christian  profession,  have  been  probably  obtained  under  the  influence 
of  excitement,  rather  than  from  Divine  teaching — from  an  impUcit 

people;  their  "  lips'^ — not  the  "priesfs— keep  knowledge,  and  the  law  is  sought  at"  their 
"  mouth."  Thus  God  becomes  "the  author"  of  "  confusion" — not  of  "  peace,  as  he  is  in 
all  churches  of  the  saints."  (1  Cor.  xiv.  33.)  The  writer  would  desire  to  cherish  a  tender, 
compassionate,  and  prayerful  interest  for  those  whom  he  is  constrained  to  consider  de- 
luded brethren.  He  would  protest  against  the  unholy  trifling  and  bitterness  with  which 
they  have  been  too  often  regarded.  He  readily  acknowledges  the  practical  influence  of 
some  of  the  main  principles  of  the  Gospel  fixed  in  their  minds  at  the  commencement  of 
their  course;  and  still  operating  as  a  preservative  from  the  dominant  influence  of  their 
serious  error.  Yet  he  feels  himself  constrained,  though  with  painful  personal  reluctance, 
to  bear  his  testimony  against  unscriptural  doctrines  attested  by  hitherto  unknown  mani- 
festations, which,  if  tliey  be  of  supernatural  origin,  may  possibly,  notwithstanding  the 
apparent  holiness  which  is  often  connected  with  them,  bear  the  mark  rather  of  the  delu- 
sion than  of  the  spiritual  glory  of  the  latter  days.  Mark  xiii.  22,  23.  Indeed  this  stamp 
of  holiness  may  be  the  illustration  of"  the  depths  of  Satan"—of  those  subtle  devices,  by 
which  tile  "  angel  of  light"  is  permitted  to  use  the  instrumentality  of  the  Lord's  people 
to  convey  his  own  deadly  poison  into  the  very  bosom  of  the  church. 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  3.  i  1  John  iv.  16.  ^  Job.  xl.  4;  xlii.  5,  6,  with  i.  8. 


212  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

submission  to  some  professed  leader  in  the  church,  rather  than  from 
a  simple  exercised  study  of  the  sacred  volume.  In  the  spirit  of 
brokenness  of  heart,  this  deluding  power  of  excitement  is  subjugated 
to  a  chastened  temper  of  tenderness  and  self-distrust.  One  want 
absorbs  every  faculty  and  desire  of  the  soul.  There  is  no  tempta- 
tion to  linger  by  the  way  in  busy  idleness  amid  the  attractions  of 
novelty.  There  is  a  careful  guard  against  all  entanglements  of 
disputation  tliat  might,  by  diverting  the  mind  from  the  main  object 
of  pursuit,  palsy  the  spiritual  affections,  and  pervert  even  the  word 
of  God  to  an  occasion  of  erasing  instead  of  fixing  permanent  im- 
pressions upon  the  heart.  In  this  spirit  of  "simplicity  and  godly 
sincerity,"  the  mind  will  gradually  be  enabled  to  receive  scriptural 
stateuients,  that  before  it  had  been  unable  to  comprehend  ;  and  will 
grasp,  with  an  intelligent  habit  of  faith,  the  fulness  of  Divine  truth 
in  all  its  happy  and  practical  influence. 

Connected  with  this  temper,  spiritual  apprehensions  of  Christ 
are  of  the  utmost  moment.  This  was  the  main  principle  of  Miss 
Graham's  steadiness  of  profession.  She  was  accustomed,  as  we 
have  before  noticed,  to  "  consider  Christ.'''^  Hers  were  not  transient 
glances  at  the  glorious  object  of  faith.  Her  religion  was  character- 
ized by  a  contemplative  iiabit  of  connecting  every  part  of  the 
Christian  system  with  Ciirist.  And  in  this  great  subject,  the  most 
intellectual  mind  will  find  full  employ.  Unfathomable  depths,  after 
a  long  life  of  research,  will  yet  remain  to  be  explored.  Here  we 
may  advance  with  deeper  intensity  of  interest  at  every  successive 
step,  until  the  whole  soul  is  "  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God  !"- 
A  mind  sustained  and  invigorated  by  these  sublime  contemplations, 
will  lose  its  speculative  taste;  will  try  '-doubtful  disputations"  by 
their  reference  to  this  grand  subject;  and, while  enlarging  to  the 
utmo-!t  its  compass  of  sacred  truth,  will  be  drawn  off  from  uncertain 
doctrines  to  those  that  are  evidently  scriptural  in  their  character, 
clear  in  their  light,  fruitful  in  privilege,  holy  in  influence.  "  Not" 
being  altogether  "  ignorant  of  Satan's  devices,  the  Christian  will 
readily  trace  to  its  proper  source  all  diverging  from  this  concentra- 
ting point,  and  will  steadily  guard  against  this  baneful  "corruption 
fromthe  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ."  And  thus  living  by  faith,  he 
will  live  upon  the  vitality  of  the  Gospel.  The  unfolding  of  Christ 
makes  holiness  at  once  practicable  and  precious.  His  principles,  as 
Ihey  expand  in  knowledge,  will  become  more  practical  in  results  ; 
while  these  results  will  reciprocally  exercise  his  principles  in  a  more 
lively  and  delightful  glow  of  Divine  light."^ 

For  the  cultivation  of  this  spiritual  contemplation,  habits  of 
retirement  seem  to  he  of  importance.  Leaving  the  time,  measure, 
and  rules  to  every  man's  judgment  and  conscience,  and  being  fully 
aware  that  a  difference  of  character  generates  in  this  particular  a 
diversity  in  the  operation  of  Divine  grace— we  cannot  forbear  incul- 
cating the  general  subject,  as  applicable  to  the  several  departments 

»  See  pp.  17^,  179.  «  Ephps.  iii.  18,  19.  3  i  See  2  Peter  i.  5—8. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  213 

of  the  chuich.  Doubtless  Miss  Graham's  retired  habits  gave  much 
advantage  to  the  exercise  of  her  mind  in  heavenly  contemplation. 
Probably  much  of  the  defective  standard  of  attainment  and  privilege 
in  the  present  day  may  be  traced  to  the  neglect  of  the  habits  now 
adverted  to.  Christians  actively  engaged  in  the  service  of  God, 
may  be  ensnared  by  the  very  activity  of  their  engagements.  Those 
of  a  more  quiet  and  collected  temperament  will  connect  their  '•  times 
of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord"— their  most  solid, 
stable,  invigorating  comfort— with  the  cultivation  of  this  habit. 
Those  who  arc  enabled  .still  to  maintain  the  freshness  of  their  early 
impressions,  feel  their  need  of  this  advantage,  and  mourn  over  the 
deprivation  of  it  as  a  loss,  for  which  no  Christian  society— however 
refined,  elevated,  or  holy— can  compensate.  All  who  realize  the 
difficulties  of  their  daily  path,  and  the  weariness  that  belongs  to 
incessant  watchfulness  and  conflict,  must  feel,  that,  as  the  body 
cannot  be  sustained  without  sleep,  so  neither  can  the  soul  thrive 
without  the  active  rest,  so  to  speak,  of  retirement  with  God.  A 
recollected  habit  of  mind— shutting  out  tlie  world,  and  calimg  home 
our  thoughts  to  Christ  and  eternity— is  indispensable  to  give  life  and 
spirituahty  to  our  religion,  to  bring  the  one  objeot  of  faith  into  fixed 
contemplation,  and  the  more  enlivening  prospects  of  eternity  into 
more  constant  influence.' 

Need  we  further  suggest  the  incalculable  importance  of  a  deep 
and  spiritual  study  ^of  the  icord  of  God.,m  connection  with  an 
established  profession  of  the  Gospel?  Miss  Graham's  exclusive 
study  of  the  word  after  the  period  of  her  recovery  from  infidelity 
{Hhe  Lord  helping  her  to  pray  over  every  word  she  read'^)  must 
have  been  productive  of  a  rich  harvest  to  her  soul.  And  indeed  the 
general  supremacy  and  entireness  of  this  sacred  study  throughout 
hfe^  was  a  main  source  of  her  mature  apprehension  of  the  doctrines 
of  Christ.  May  not  a  partial  study  of  Scripture  explain  the  difficul- 
ty, why  sincere  Christians — praying  for  the  promised  "  guidance  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  into  all  truth'''— shoiM  yet  be  left  under  the  influ- 
ence of  error?  Do  they  heartily  desire  to  be  guided  into  the  all 
truth — into  practical  as  well  as  doctrinal — into  humbling  as  well  as 
the  more  exciting — truths?  Is  every  part  of  the  holy  book,  after 
the  example  of  this  devoted  saint,  honored  as  the  word  of  God- 
carefully  explored,  and  earnestly  prayed  over  ?  The  promise  sup- 
poses a  diligent  search  of  the  whole  field  of  Divine  truth,  and  the 

1  'The  fault  of  many  Christians  in  our  day,'  remarks  a  truly  Christian  observer,'  '  is, 
that  they  live  too  much  in  public.  We  do  not  mean  that  they  are  dissipated,  or  particu- 
larly worldly  in  their  habits  and  associations  (though  this  is  true,  alas!  of  some),  but 
that  the  work  of  the  heart  is  postponed  to  the  work  of  the  head  and  the  hands.  Com- 
mittees, schools,  charitable  meetings,  occupy  the  time,  and  fill  the  thoughts;  while  soli- 
tude, and  especially  a  devotional  solitude,  is  a  thing  almost  wholly  unknown.  Half  the 
errors  of  the  present  day  may  jjrobably  be  traced  to  this  source ;  the  facility  with  which 
Christians  are  carried  away  by  every  kind  of  doctrine  ;  the  low  standard  of  personal  holi- 
ness ;  the  small  amount  of  self-denying  charity— for  these,  and  such  as  these,  brethren, 
there  is  no  remedy  but  walking,  like  Enoch,  very  closely  with  God.'— Blunl's  Hisionj 
of  Elisha. 

2  See  p.  97.  3  See  pp.  180—18-2.  •"  John  xvi.  13. 


214  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

neglect  of  any  part  of  this  field  shuts  us  out  from  the  sphere  of  the 
promise.  Perhaps  also  a  superficial  study  of  "the  word  of  Christ" 
— even  when  the  whole  surface  is  surveyed — is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  causes  of  slight  profession  in  the  present  day.  It  too 
often  lodges  only — ^not  "  dwells"  with  us ;  or  it  dwells  with  us — not 
in  lis  ^  or  the  "  riches"  of  the  treasure-house  are  too  little  regarded  ; 
or  the  "  wisdom  that  is  from  above"  is  but  little  exercised  in  the 
application  of  its  contents  to  our  several  emergencies.'  In  some 
cases  we  mark  a  disproportionate  attention  to  the  externals  of 
Scripture,  which  betrays  a  criminal  indiflference  to  its  spiritual 
excellences.  The  holy  simplicity  of  study  is  deteriorated.  The 
mind  is  contented  to  feed  upon  husks,  while  the  heavenly  pleasures 
coruiected  with  the  internal  study  of  the  sacred  volume  are  un- 
touched and  unknown.  With  others  again  the  subjects  revolve 
before  the  mind,  but  without  research.  The  difference  is  inconceiva- 
ble between  the  act  of  reading,  and  the  habit  of  meditation  and 
search  in  the  sacred  volume.  If  the  mind  does  not  ponder  often 
upon  Scripture,  no  definite  views  will  be  obtained,  no  profitable 
instruction  drawn  out  from  it.  Whereas  a  spnitually  reflecting 
mind  will  extract  rich  meaning  from  its  apparently  difficult  and 
barren  portions.  Being  made  the  subject  of  thought,  and  formed 
into  materials  for  prayer,  Scripture  knowledge  becomes  of  a  more 
heavenly  character ;  and  meditation  upon  a  single  passage  becomes 
more  fruitful  than  the  general  reading  of  large  portions  of  the  sacred 
book.  Perhaps  there  is  no  precept  more  intimately  connected  with 
establishment  in  the  Gospel,  than  that  vvhich  has  been  indirectly 
adverted  to — •'  Let  the  vwrd  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all 
wisdom''^  Let  there  be  no  part  of  us,  where  the  word  does  not 
dwell.  Let  there  be  no  part  of  the  word,  that  does  not  dwell  in  us. 
Here  is  a  new  world  of  heavenly  light,  where  the  intellect  is  called 
forth  into  its  full  exercise.  Here  the  soul  is  refreshed,  and  the 
heart  is  moulded  under  the  influence  of  Divine  wisdom  ;  and  hence 
stability  of  our  profession  "in  the  simplicity  of  Christ." 

We  would  venture  to  add  a  few  words  upon  the  high  responsibili- 
ty of  cultivating  "  the  spirit  of  a  sound  mind''  The  high  estimate 
which  the  Apostle  formed  of  this  faculty  may  be  seen  in  his  placing 
it  among  the  special  gifts  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,'^  and  in  his 
prayers  for  his  own  son  in  the  faith, ^  and  for  his  beloved  flock,  that 
they  might  maintain  it  in  constant  exercise.  His  own  example 
proves,  that,  instead  of  a  sound  judgment  cooling  the  fervor  of  zeal 
(as  it  is  sometimes  supposed  to  do),  it  increases  its  effect  by  directing 
its  movements.'  Indeed  a  weakness  in  this  point  brings  with  it 
many  hindrances  to  a  settled  consistency  of  profession.  A  luxu- 
riant imagination  often  obscures  the  well-regulated  and  implicit  ex- 
ercise of  faith.  The  truth  is  often  clothed  with  adventitious  at- 
tractions. It  is  not  received  simply  as  of  God.  There  is  a  want 
of  clear  perception  and  determined  grasp  of  the  points  presented  to 

»  Col.  iii.  16.  »  2  Tim.  i.  6,  7.  3  lb.  ii.  7.  *  Phil.  i.  9. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  215 

view.  Again,  an  excited  temperament  without  a  staid  judgment, 
opens  many  avenues  of  delusion.  This  is  a  matter  of  frequent  no- 
tice in  ihe  cases  of  a  defective  reUgious  education,  or  of  late  conver- 
sion ;  or  in  a  rapid  transition  from  the  cares  of  business  or  the  war- 
fare of  the  camp,  to  the  heated  atmospheres  which  are  now  to  be 
found  in  the  church.  The  dazzling  brightness  of  truth  breaking 
in  upon  unfurnished  minds,  and  often  upon  palpable  darkness,  over- 
powers the  facuUy  of  discrimination.  The  overturn  of  their  former 
opinions  has  destroyed  confidence  in  their  own  conclusions ;  and 
together  with  their  old  prejudices,  their  intellectual  stability  is  swept 
away.  In  another  direction,  also,  lively  affections  and  weak  judg- 
ment give  a  wrong  bias  to  the  character.  The  Christian  under  an 
enlivening  sense  of  the  Saviour's  love  is  ready  to  embrace  any  new 
view  or  doctrine,  which  he  conceives  calculated  to  honor  and  exalt 
him.  Now  a  controlling  power  is  as  necessary  for  the  healthful  reg- 
ularity of  the  mind,  as  an  invigorating  principle.  Opinionative  de- 
cision is  too  often  mistaken  for  spiritual  principle.  We  want  the 
influence  of  "  the  wisdom  from  above,"  not  only  to  open  to  our  minds 
expanded  and  attractive  views  of  truth,  but  to  enable  us  to  affix  to 
every  part  itsjust  proportion — that  no  favorite  doctrines  be  suffered 
to  absorb  our  interest,  or  be  raised  to  an  undue  importance — that 
essential  points  may  have  their  preponderance  over  those  of  amoie 
doubtful  character— that  every  step  of  our  progress  may  present  to 
us  a  more  complete  view  of  the  harmony  of  the  system.  The  mul- 
titude of  excursions  in  the  theological  field,  without  and  beyond  the 
rule  of  revelation,  are  an  evidence  of  that  wandering  of  the  mind 
from  reality,  and  that  triumph  of  imagination  over  truth,  which  de- 
notes a  mind  not  in  the  full  possession  of  its  own  powers.  But  let 
us  in  another  track  be  careful  that  the  sublime  contemplation  of 
the  Gospel  does  not  pamper  a  prurient  curiosity  ;  but  rather  that  it 
gives  a  more  settled  character  to  our  faith,  and  a  wise  and  active 
direction  to  our  practice.  Let  us  watch  also,  under  the  exercise  of 
this  sound  mind,  that  the  fear  of  uncertain  doctrines  does  not  quench 
ths  ardour  of  Scriptural  investigation— ihat  we  continue  our  research 
"unto  all  the  riches  of  the  full  assurance  of  understanding,'" — that 
we  go  on  as  long  as  there  is  one  point  of  the  sacred  book  unexplor- 
ed— "forgetting  the  things  that  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto 
those  things  which  are  before. "'- 

We  cannot  but  remark  how  frequently  a  defect  of  soundness  of 
mind  is  connected  with  unsteadiness  of  profession.  And  indeed  in 
all  cases,  important  talents  of  influence  are  wasted,  and  valuable 
spheres  of  usefulness  are  contracted,  by  this  evil.  What  servant 
of  God,  therefore,  conscious  alike  of  his  responsibility  and  weakness, 
will  not  present  his  frequent  and  earnest  petition  to  the  throne  of 
grace — -'Teach  me  good  judgment  and  knowledge  ?"^  These  in- 
estimable blessings  are  not  the  exclusive  accomplishments  of  highly- 
gifted  intellects.     The  believer— weak  in  natural  intelligence,  but 

1  Col.  ii.  2.  2  Phil.  iii.  13.  3  Psalm  cxix.  66. 


216  MEMOIR  OF  MARY  JANE  GRAHAM. 

simple  in  dependence  upon  his  God — will  be  not  only  guided,  but 
established  in  the  truth,  even  in  the  midst  of  abounding  errors. 
He  will  be  "  taught  not  to  believe  every  spirit,  but  to  try  the  spirits, 
whether  they  be  of  God.'"'  He  will  be  led  to  "try  the  things  that 
differ"^  in  the  church — not  by  the  holiness  of  their  several  professors, 
(which — even  if  it  were  more  perfectly  apprehended — is  not  the 
decisive  Test  of  Truth,)  but  by  "  the  law  and  the  testimony  :" 
being  assured  "  that  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this  word"— 
though  they  be  ''  angels  of  light"—"  there  is  no  light  in  thenj."^ 

HI.  The  memoir  before  its  may  also  j)oint  out  the  groimd  and 
blessedness  of  Scriptural  enjoyment.  Miss  Graham's  full  recep- 
tion of  the  high  principles  of  the  Gospel  made  Christian  devotedness 
a  privilege,  and  Christian  resignation  the  path  of  peace.  Her  clear 
views  of  sovereign  grace  ;  lier  tender  spirit  of  assured  confidence  ; 
and  the  bright  beaming  rays  of  her  hope  of  glory,  were  sources  of 
incessant  energy  and  heavenly  cheerfulness.  Tiie  spiritual  atmos- 
phere in  which  she  lived,  communicated  life  to  her  fainting  spirit. 
Her  heart  received  a  new  bent,  and  found  a  new  home  in  the 
bosom  of  her  God.  The  staid  sobriety  of  her  character, — the  happi- 
ness she  found  in  entire  consecration  of  herself  to  God — her  quiet 
composure  of  mind  in  the  chamber  of  sutferiiig — -the  overcoiuing 
strength  and  vigor,  sustaining  her  soul  in  joyfulness — abundantly 
proved,  that  she  had  not  embraced  an  empty  cloud — -that  she  had 
not  caught  a  shadow  under  the  delusion  of  enjoying  God — but  that 
God  was  indeed  the  rest  and  portion  of  her  soul. 

But  what,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  portion — what  the  prospect — 
of  the  man  (whether  destitute  of  the  profession  of  the  Gospel,  or 
holding  it  in  delusion,)  who  lives  "without  God  in  the  world  ?"^ 
He  must  raise  his  "altar" — if  he  thinks  of  worship  at  all  for  the 
quieting  of  conscience — "  To  the  unknown  God."''  He  makes  to 
himself  a  god  after  his  own  fancy,  his  own  heart ;  and  it  proves  to 
be  an  infinite  nothing.  He  cannot  know  his  Creator  \'^  he  therefore 
cannot  enjoy  him.  For  want  of  this  knowledge  and  enjoyment,  he 
dooms  himself  to  everlasting  misery.  He  will  not  rest  in  God.  He 
cannot  rest  in  anything  short  of  God.  If  ever  there  was  a  remedy 
designed  for  man,  bearing  the  character  of  divine  love,  it  is  the  Gos- 
pel of  Jesus,  opening  an  uncreated  source  as  alone  sufficient  to 
quench  the  thirst  of  immortal  souls — "  Ho  !  every  one  that  thirsteth, 
come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money  ;  come  ye,  buy 
and  eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk,  without  money  and  without 
price.  Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread? 
and  your  labor  for  that  wliich  salisfieth  not?  hearken  diligently 
unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that  which  is  good,  and  let  your  soul  dehght 
itself  in  fatness.  Inchne  your  ear,  and  come  unto  nae  ;  hear,  and 
your  soul  shall  live.'"' 

1   I  John  iv.  1.  2  Phil.  i.  10.     Marg.  3  2  Cor.  xi.  14.     Isaiah  viii.  20. 

<   Kphcsians  ii.  12.  ^  Acts  xvii.  23. 

6  See  Miss  Graham's  striking  and  original  thoughts  on  this  subject  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  Test  of  Truth. 
■J  Isaiah  Iv.  1  — 3. 


MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM.  217 

Let  US  hear  the  breathings  of  the  holy  and  seraj)hic  Baxter,  after 
this  soul-satisfying  portion.  '  In  thee  I  expect  my  true  felicity  and 
content.  To  know  thee,  and  love  thee,  and  delight  in  thee,  must 
be  my  blessedness,  or  I  must  have  none.  The  little  tastes  of  this 
sweetness,  which  my  thirsty  soul  hath  had,  do  tell  me  that  there  is 
no  other  real  joy.  I  feel  that  thou  hast  made  my  mind  to  know 
thee,  my  heart  to  love  thee,  my  tongue  to  praise  thee,  and  all  that 
I  am  and  have  to  serve  thee.  And  even  in  the  panting  languish- 
ing desires  and  motions  of  my  soul,  I  find  that  thou,  and  only  thou 
art  its  resting-place;  and  though  love  do  now  but  search,  and  prai/. 
and  cry,  and  weep,  and  is  reaching  upward,  but  cannot  reach,  the 
glorious  light,  the  blessed  knowledge,  the  perfect  love,  for  which  it 
longeth  ;  yet,  by  its  eye,  its  aim,  its  motions,  its  moans,  its  groans, 
I  know  its  meaning,  where  it  would  be,  and  I  know  its  end.  My 
displaced  soul  will  never  be  well,  till  it  come  near  to  thee,  till  it 
know  thee  better,  till  it  love  thee  more.  Wert  thou  to  be  found  in 
the  most  solitary  desert,  it  would  seek  thee ;  or  in  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth,  it  would  make  after  thee.  Thy  presence  makes 
a  crowd  a  church  ;  thy  converse  maketh  a  closet,  or  solitary  wood 
or  field,  to  be  akin  to  the  angelical  choir.  The  creature  were  dead, 
if  thou  wert  not  its  life  ;  and  ugly,  if  thou  wert  not  its  beauty  ;  and 
insignificant,  if  thou  wert  not  its  sense.  The  soul  its  deformed, 
which  is  without  thine  image  ;  and  lifeless  which  liveth  not  in  love 
to  thee,  if  love  be  not  its  pulse,  and  prayer  and  praise  is  constant 
breath.  The  mind  is  unlearned,  which  readeth  not  thy  name  on 
all  the  world.  He  dreameth,  who  doth  not  live  to  thee.  Oh  !  let 
me  have  no  otirer  portion  !  no  reason,  no  love,  no  life,  but  what  is 
devoted  to  thee,  employed  on  thee,  and  for  thee  here,  and  shall  be 
perfected  in  thee,  the  only  perfect,  final  object  for  evermore.  Upon 
the  holy  altar  erected  by  thy  Son,  and  by  his  hands  and  his  medi- 
tation, 1  humbly  devote  and  oflcr  to  thee  this  heart — Oh  !  that  I 
could  say  with  greater  feeling — this  flamiti.o-^  loving,  longing 
heart!  But  the  sacred  fire  which  must  kindle  on  my  sacrifice, 
must  come  from  thee.  It  will  not  else  ascend  unto  thee.  Let  it 
consume  this  dross,  so  the  nobler  part  may  know  its  home.  All 
that  I  can  say  to  commend  it  to  thine  acceptance,  is,  that  I  hope  it 
is  washed  in  precious  blood,  and  that  there  is  something  in  it  that 
is  thine  own.  It  still  looketh  toward  thee,  and  groaneth  to  thee, 
and  floweth  after  thee,  and  will  be  content  with  gold,  and  mirth, 
and  honor,  and  such  inferior  fooleries  no  more.  It  lieth  at  thy 
door,  and  will  be  entertained,  or  perish.  Though,  alas  !  it  loves 
thee  not  as  it  would,  I  boldly  say,  it  longs  to  love  thee.  It  loves  to 
love  thee.  It  seeks,  it  craves  no  greater  blessedness  than  perfect, 
endless,  mutual  love.  It  is  vowed  to  thee,  even  to  thee  alone,  and* 
will  never  take  up  with  shadows  more  ;  but  it  is  resolved  to  lie 
down  in  sorrow  and  despair,  if  thou  wilt  not  be  its  rest  and  joy.  It 
hateth  itself  for  loving  thee  no  more,  accounting  no  want,  deformity, 
shame,  or  pain,  so  great  and  grievous  a  calamity. '^ 

'  Reasons  of  the  Christian  religion,  chap.  xii. 


218  MEMOIR    OF    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM. 

Christians  !  You,  like  this  holy  man  of  God,  have  made  trial  of 
this  portion ;  and  you  alone  are  competent  to  speak  of  it.  You 
can  bear  testimony  that  the  knowledge  and  enjoyment  of  God, 
coming  to  us  through  Christ — our  Head,  our  All — is  unspeakable 
bliss.  It  fills  the  most  enlarged  appetite  of  the  soul.  It  fixes  our 
hovering  thoughts  and  restless  anticipations.  It  perfects  all  our 
desires  in  holy  delight  and  joy.  It  is  the  triumph  of  everlasting  love 
over  all  the  wretchedness,  wants,  and  guilt  of  man.  It  gives  su- 
preme enjoyment  in  life — hope  in  death— a  portion  for  eternity. 

"  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there  is 

NONE  UPON  earth  THAT  I  DESIRE  BESIDE  THEE.  My  FLESH 
AND  MY  HEART  FAILETH  ;  BUT  GoD  IS  THE  STRENGTH  OF  MY 
HEART,  AND  MY  PORTION  FOREVER.'" 

I  Psalm  Ixxiii.  25,  26. 


THE   END. 


INDEX  TO  MEMOIR  OF  MISS  M.  J.  GRAHAM. 


Active  devotedness,   Miss   Graham's.  44 

—47,  178 

usefulness,  early,  importance  of,  13 

Activity  of  mind.  Miss  Graham's,  41,  189 
,  —191 

Advent,  second,  practical  viewr  of,  89 — 91 
Advice  to  inquiring  Christians,  88 — 92 
Affections,  religion  of  120 — 123 
Affliction,  letters  in,  lOG— 109 
Alfieri,  referred  to,  142.  1 45 
Apprehensions   of  Christ,    importance   of, 

174,  175,  213 
Assurance,  Christian,  importance  of,  117 — 

119 
Astronomy,  Christian,  138,  139 

B 

Babington  on  Education,  referred  to,  13  n. 

Bacon,  Lord,  quoted,  83  n. 

Barker's  Parent's  Monitor,  referred  to,  13 

Baxter,  quoted,  20  n.  38  n.  77  n.  217 

Baxter's  (Robert)  Narrative,  referred  to, 
74  n. 

Believing,  immediate  duty  of.  95 

Berriman's  (Dr.)  Sermons,  referred  to, 
7(3  n. 

Bickersteth's  Christian  Student,  referred  to, 
148  n. 

Botany,  study  of,  41,  190 

Bradford,  referred  to,  119 

Burnet's  (Bp.)  Life  of  Lord  Rochester,  re- 
ferred to,  18  n. 

Butler,  (Bp.)  referred  to,  40  n. 

Byron's  (Lord)  poetry,  146 


Calcutta's    (Bishop   of)    Lectures,    17  n. 

71  n. 
Calvin  quoted,  205 

referred  to,  97 

Canticles,  Book  of  referred  to,  121, 173,  203 

Cavilling  Temper,  danger  of,  205 

Cecil  quoted,  145 

Chalmers,  (Dr.)  referred  to,  149 

Chemistry,  study  of,  41,  190 

Chester,  Bishop  of,  referred  to,  71  n. 


Christ,  parables  of,  149 

spiritual  apprehensions  of,  174, 175, 


212 
Christian  character.  Miss  Graham's,  1G8— 

188 

experience.  93 

privilege,  119,  216 

steadfastness,  214 — 216 

wisdom,  35,  36 

Chubb's  True  Gospel,  quoted,  18  n. 
Classical  literature.  Miss  Graham's  view  of, 

38 
Col.  iii.  16.     80 

Communion  of  Saints,  183 — 185 
Compassionate  concern  for  the  unconverted, 

169—175 
Concentration  of  mind,  Miss  Graham's,  41, 

42,  167 
Conditions  of  salvation.  G6 — 68 
Conflict,  spiritual,  113—116.  202,  203 
Conformity  to  the  world,  124 — 136 
Contrition  of  heart,  importance  of,  211,  212 
1  Cor.  i.  23,  21.     56  n. 
1  Cor.  xiii.    182. 
Cottage  visiting.  Miss  Graham's,  45,  46 

D 

Daniel  xi.  35.     81 

Day  of  Pentecost,  (Rev.  E.  Irving's)  quo- 
ted, 210  n 

Defective  Education,  37,  215 

Depravity,  human,  13,  51 

Desire  for  the  Knowledge  of  God,  194 

Difficulties  of  Study,  30,  31 

Divine  Influence,  need  of,  51 — 54,  86,  87 

Divine  presence,  sense  of  194 

Division,  painful  spirit  of,  188 

Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  referred  to, 
14  n. 


Expositor,  69 


Domestic  Portraiture,  recommended,  13  n. 


Early  activity,  importance  of,  13 

Early    History   of  Miss    Graham,  7 — 12, 
112,  113 

impressions,  importance  of,  7 — 10, 


12,  HI 


220 


Election,  doctrine  of,  G3,  GG,  97,  98 

Enthusiasm,  description  of,  123  n. 

Eternity,  realizing  apprehensions  of,  193 — 
19(5 

Evidences  of  Christianity,  importance  of 
acquaintance  with  them,  209 

of  personal  religion,  use  of,  9G, 

121 

Exercise  of  the  affections  in  religion,  120 — 
123 

Experience,  Christian,  93 

of  the  Gospel  on  the  Heart,  im- 
portance of,  207,  208 

Extent  of  Miss  Graham's  studies,  38 — 42 

Extracts  from  Miss  Graham's  writings,  48 
—120 

P 

Faith,  exercise  of  in  Study,  30,  31 
Faith,  explicit,  nature  of,  68 — 71 

implicit,  importance  of,  181,  20l) 

Faithfulness  in  reproof,  176 — 178 
Forbearing  spirit,  importance  of,  187,  188 
^'reeness  of  the  Gospel,  55 — 57,  GtJ,   100 
Divine   Grace,  extracts  from 

Work  on,  48—50,  G3— 65,  181 
Fundamental    Doctrines,    Miss   Graham's 

view  of,  48 — M 


G 


Gil  Bias  referred  to,  39 

Governess,  Letters  to  a,  150 — 163 

Graham,  Miss,  her  birth,  7.  Early  impres- 
sions of  religion,  7 — 11.  Early  life,  11, 
12.  Relapse  into  infidelity,  li,"97  Re- 
covery from,  15,  16,  69.  Residence  in 
London,  22.  View  of  study,  22 — 35. 
Attainments  in  Literature,  33 — 12.  Act- 
ive devotedness,  41 — 47.  Extracts  from 
her  writings,  48 — 165.  Natural  Charac- 
ter, 11,  166.  Relative  Character,  166. 
Intellectual  Character,  169.  Christian 
Character,  168-188.  Illness,  189—203. 
Death,  204 

Gratitude  of  mind,  196 

Gregory's  Letters  referred  to,  209  n. 

Gurney's  Portable  Evidence  referred  to, 
209  n. 

H 

Hall  (Bp.)  quoted,  92  n. 

Rev.  R.  referred  to,  14  n. 
Handel,  referred  to,  141 
Haydn,  referred  to,  142 
Hebrews  xi.  6.     69 

Helps  to  the  Study  of  Prophecy,  85,  8o 
Helplessness  of  man,  51 — 53 
Henry,  the  family  of,   referred   to,   13   n. 

14  n. 
Hints  on  the  Study  of  Prophecy,  8G — 92 
lloarc,  (Mrs.)  referred  to,  13  n. 
Holy  Spirit,  Prayer  to,  23,  37,  74,  78 
Hooker  quoted,  205  n. 


Hooker,  referred  to,  194 

Humility  of  mind,  196 

Hurd  (Bp.)  quoted,  89 

Hurrion's  Sermons  referred  to,  76  n. 


Infidelity,  Miss  G.'s  relapse  into,   14,  97, 
205' 

recovery    from,     15, 


16,  69 


209 


remarks  on,  79,  80 

cause  of,  li),  20 

guard  against,  207- 


Intellectual  Character  of  Miss  G.,  167,  168 
and    Christian   wisdom    com- 


pared, 35,  36 
Intercessory  Prayer,  183 — 185 
Invitations  of  the  Gospel,  55,  5G,  173 — 

175 
Irving's  (Rev.  E.)  Day  of  Pentecost  quoted, 

210  n. 
Isaiah  xxxiv.  16.     83  n. 
Johnson,  Dr.,  quoted,  65  n. 
John  vii.  16,  17.     69. 

K 
Knowledge,  importance  of,  28,  34,  148 


Latin  language.  Miss  G.'s  remarks  on,  38 
Lawfulness  of  study,  26 
Legality,  settled  form  of,  111  n. 
Letters,  Miss  G.'s,  to  a  Governess,  150 — 
163 

Piano  Forte  Play- 


er, 41,  139—142 
Liturgy  referred  to,  77 
Lloyd,  Rev.  T.,  Life  of,  quoted,  209  n, 
Locke,  referred  to,  40,  207  n. 
Love  to  the  brethren,  183,  196 

Christ,  185—188 

Ordinances,  197,  198 

Prayer,  178,  179 

Souls,  167 


the  Word,  180,  197 

Luke  v.  28.     112.     xi.  13.     17,  40,  118 
Lukewarmness  described,  120 — 132 

M 

Maclaurin's  Sermon  referred  to,  57  n. 
Martyn,  Rev.  H.,  33 
Mason  referred  to,  110 
Mathematics,  study  of,  41,  n.  190 
Mathematical  manuscript,  account  of,  24 
Extracts  from, 


19,  25—37,  45,  67  n.  79,  138,  207 
Mather's,  Cotton,  Life,  referred  to,  13 
Matthews  at  home,  131 
Matthews  xxviii.  19.     75 
Mclancthon.  referred  to,  180 
Millennium,  remarks  on,  81 — 83 


221 


Milton,  referred  to,  12,  112,  139,  146 
Music,  41,  139—144 

rules  lor,  141 

sacred,  143 

Musicians  of  the  Grove,  140 


N 


Natural  character,  I\Iiss  G.'s,  11,  13,  16G 
Newton,  Sir  I.,  89  n. 
Novels,  religious,  147 — 150 

O 

Ordinances,  love  of,  182 
Original  sin  explained,  48 — 50 
Owen  (Dr.)  quoted,  72,  182 


Paley,  referred  to,  43,  18S 
Petrarch,  110,  145 
Poetry,  144— 14G 
Prayer,  love  of,  479,  480 
to  Holy  Spirit. 


See  Holy  Spirit. 
Privilege,  Christian,  enjoyment  of,  119,  124, 

210  ° 
Prophecy,  importance  of  the  study  of,  8!) 

—88 
hints  for  the  practical  study  of, 

89—92 
Proverbs,  ii.  1 — G,  referred  to,  181 
Psalms,  Book  of,  referred  to,  121 


R 


Relative  oblicrations,  force  of,  129,  135,  1G7, 

1G8,  173 
Religious  excitement,  215 
Remedy  against  self-dependence  in  study, 

38,  42 
Resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  173 
Responsibility  of  study,  27 — 29 
Resurrection  of  the  body,  thoughts  on,  201 
Retirement,  importance  of,  214 
Revelation,  xvii.  14.     82 
Reverence  for  the  word  of  God,  181,  182 
Romans  xv.  3.     167  n. 
Rousseau,  referred  to,  18  n. 


Scott's  Force  of  Truth  referred  to,  18  n. 
Scriptures,  love  of,  179 — 181 

study  of,  97,  179.  213 

Scriptural  rules,  132,  13G,  179,  213 
Self-complacency  in  study,  danger  of,  45 
Self-dependence  in  study,  safeguard  a  ^ ainst, 

35 
Self-examination,  impoitancc  of,  9G 
Seli'-indultifnce  in  study,  danger  of,  31 
Self-knowledge,  the  importance  of,  110 
Self-righteousness,  51 
Settled  profession,  importance  of,  209 
Sound  mind,  spirit  of,  214 
Spanish  refugees,  II  — 13,  199 
Stewart,  Dugald,  referred  to,  40 
Study,  Christian,  importance  of,  27 

lawfulness  of,  2  i 

prayer  before,  22,  38 

temptations  of,  31 — 33 


Sunday  School  instruction,  44.  170 

instruction  of  young  children,  101, 


102 
Support  under  suiTering,  190 


Tasso  referred  to,  110 
Taylor  (Bp.)  referred  to,  102,  139,  142 
Temper  requisite  for  the  Study  of  Prophecy, 
8G 

Scripture,  181 

Tenderness,  iMiss  G.'s  character  of,  176 
Test  of  Truth.  10,  15,  22,  42,  170,  216 
Theological  discussions,  Miss  G.'s,  63 — 83 
Tongues,  unknown,  remarks  on,  210 


Vain-glorious  spirit  in  study,  31 
Vicar  of  Wakefield,  referred  to,  39 
Volney's  Ruins  of  Empires  referred  to,  42 

W 

Waterland's  Sermons  referred  to,  7G 
Wholeness  of  study  of  Scripture,  97,  181, 

214 
Wordsworth's  poetry,  14G 
World,  weanedness  from,  195 


THE  TEST  OF  TRUTH 


MARY    JANE    GRAHAM, 

LATE   OF   STOKE   FLEMING,   DEVON. 


"ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  TOTJ." 


THE  TEST  OF  TRUTH. 


PART   I. 

ASK,    AND    IT    SHALL    BE    GIVEN    YOU. Luke  xi.  9. 

I  AM  not  ignorant  of  the  disadvantage  under  which  I  labor,  ia 
addressing  a  class  of  readers  who  Hghtly  esteem  the  Bible,  with  a 
quotation  from  the  Bible.  Such  a  commencement  carries  with  it 
an  air  both  of  unfairness  and  inconsistency.  It  looks  like  an 
attempt  to  assume  the  point  in  dispute,  and  to  argue  from  a  source 
whicli  we  have  not  yet  proved  to  be  genuine.  Let  me  hasten  to 
dispel  a  suspicion  so  unfavorable  to  a  candid  reception  of  the  obser- 
vations I  am  aliout  to  offer.  Rational  and  philosophizing  sceptics, 
in  presenting  you  with  the  above  text  of  Scripture,  I  do  not  ask  you 
to  receive  it  as  the  word  of  God  ;  but  otdy  to  bestow  upon  it  a  little 
of  that  patient  and  courteous  attention,  which  the  word  of  one  of 
your  fellew-men  might  claim  from  you.  You  cannot,  in  justice  to 
your  own  professions  of  candor  and  equit_v,  refuse  compliance  with 
so  reasonable  a  demand. 

Without  further  apology,  I  submit  one  of  the  sayings  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  your  attentive  consideration.  I  am  far  from  any  inten- 
tion of  pressing  upon  you  its  divine  authority,  or  insisting  on  a 
blind  obedience.     Upon  its  own  merits  let  it  stand  or  fall. 

My  object  in  thus  briefly  addressing  you,  is  not  to  convince,  but 
to  invite  you  to  a  method  by  which  you  may  convince  yourselves. 
With  this  design  [  shall  take  nothing  for  granted  but  what  you 
will  be  readily  disposed  to  concede.  J.  will  suppose  that  it  is  yet  a 
matter  of  doubt  whether  the  Scriptures  are  the  genuine  and  lively 
oracles  of  God,  or  the  sordid,  lying  invention  of  man.  Take,  if  you 
please,  a  still  further  advantage.  Assume  that  appearances  are 
strongly  against  their  divine  origin  :  that  the  external  evidences 
of  Christianity  are  insufficient — her  internal  proof  unsatisfactory — 
her  professors  few  and  inconsistent — her  opponents  respectable  both 
in  numbers  and  talents — the  objections  against  her  weighty  and 
plausible— and  all  the  arguments  in  her  favor  weak  and  inconclu- 
sive. I  will  further  suppose  that  you  are  in  earnest,  when  you 
assert  that  truth  alone  is  the  object  of  your  search,  and  that  you  are 
ready  to  embrace  her  wherever  you  find  her.     I  say,  I  will  suppose 


226  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

that  you  are  in  earnest.  And  truly  I  should  offer  an  affront  to 
your  understandings,  both  as  men  and  philosophers,  were  1  to 
imagine  you  capable  of  viewing  the  subject  in  any  other  than  a 
a  serious  light. 

If  then  you  refuse  to  believe  the  Bible,  it  must  be  oecause  you 
can  find  no  means  of  proving  it  to  be  true.  It  cannot  be  because 
you  love  to  continue  in  darkness,  in  perplexity,  in  unbelief.  Let 
me  put  the  case  that  some  infallible  criterion  were  proposed  to  you  ; 
— some  method  of  ascertaining  by  your  own  personal  experience, 
the  trutli  or  falsehood  of  the  Bible.  May  it  not  be  inferred,  that 
you  would  be  eager  to  put  it  fairly  to  the  test,  and  willing  to  abide 
by  the  result  of  your  experiment? 

Such  a  criterion  I  am  about  to  propose  to  you.  It  is  so  simple, 
that  a  child  may  comprehend  ;  so  just,  that  a  philosopher  may  ap- 
prove ;  and  so  forcible,  that  none  who  have  fairly  tried,  have  ever 
been  found  able  to  withstand  it.  Such  is  the  saying  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  which  I  now  invite  your  attention — "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given 

you." 

Who  Jesus  Christ  was,  or  what  degree  of  deference  is  due  to  his 
word,  it  suits  not  my  present  purpose  to  inquire.  I  shall  content 
myself  with  proving  to  you,  that  the  saying  now  under  considera- 
tion contains  nothing  in  itself  absurd  or  improbable.  And  having 
established  this  necessary  poini,  I  shall  propose  it  to  you  as  the 
touchstone  of  truth.  I  am  fully  aware  of  the  proud  self-sufficiency, 
with  which  unconverted  men  expect  the  mightiest  truths  to  be 
brought  down  to  the  level  of  human  reason.  It  shall  therefore  be 
my  care,  in  the  few  simple  propositions  which  I  shall  lay  before 
you.  to  introduce  nothing  which  can  too  severely  tax  your  belief  or 
your  understanding. 

You  are,  I  hope,  willing  to  allow,  that  this  universal  frame  is  the 
work  of  some  Divine,  uncreated  intelligence.  You  are  loo  suscep- 
tible in  heart  and  intellect,  to  be  able  to  look  round  on  the  wonders 
of  creation,  and  not  perceive  in  them  all,  manifest  tokens  of  creat- 
ing power.  But  I  am  prepared  to  make  every  allowance  for  the 
strength  of  your  incredulity.  If,  therefore,  I  appear  to  you  to  have 
asked  too  niuch,  I  will  yet  be  more  moderate  in  my  demands.  It  is 
enough  for  my  argument,  if  you  admit  that  the  existence  of  God, 
if  not  certain,  is  at  least  probable,  or  if  not  probable,  that  it  is  al 
least  possible.  The  various  instances  of  deep  design  and  exquisite 
contrivance  which  force  themselves  upon  your  notice  on  every  side, 
will  not  suffer  you  to  deny  the  possible  existence  of  some  great 
Designer  and  Contriver.  Whether  you  look  upwards,  at  the 
innumerable  starry  host;  or  downwards,  upon  the  insect  that 
crawls  beneath  your  feet;  around  you,  on  the  beauteous  furniture 
of  the  universe  ;  or  within,  upon  the  little  world  of  thought  and 
feeling  that  is  stirring  in  your  own  bosom  : — whichever  way  you 
look,  whichever  way  you  turn,  you  are  met  by  something  which 
compels  you  to  acknowledge  that  the  existence  of  God  is  no  absurd 
or   improbable  hypotliesis.     Even   that  man  who  wrote  "  atheist" 


THE    TEST    OP    TRUTH.  227 

under  his  name,  was  not,  I  am  persuaded,  an  atheist  when  alone. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  an  atheist  in  soHtude.  You  may  boast 
that  you  are  one  in  the  convivial  circle  ;  hut  you  cannot  support  the 
character  in  your  closet.  There  God  will  find  you  out.  There  the 
unwelcome  reahty  of  his  presence  will  confound  you.  And  not 
only  so — but  even  in  the  height  of  social  mirth,  when  surrounded 
by  friends  who  sympathize  and  admire,  you  dare  to  make  merry 
with  the  name  and  being  of  God: — even  then,  a  secret  horror,  a 
sad  foreboding  conviction  will  sometimes  come  over  you,  and  you 
will  feel  in  every  pore  that  GOD  IS,  and  that  vain  are  your 
feeble  efforts  to  annihilate  Him.  I  appeal  to  the  stoutest  heart 
among  you,  whether  I  speak  truth.  You  cannot  quite  divest  your- 
self of  the  conviction — you  know  you  cannot.  God  has  not  left 
himself  without  witness,  even  in  your  heart.  There  is  a  point  at 
which  incredulity  itself  must  make  a  stand  ;  and  that  point  is  the 
existence  of  God. 

I  take  it  tlien  for  granted,  that  some  of  you  will  admit  the  exist- 
ence of  Almighty  God  to  be  undeniably  certain  :  many  will  own 
that  it  is  probable :  and  all  will  allow  that  it  is  possible. 

Neither  will  you  be  so  hardy  as  to  deny,  that,  if  there  be  a  God, 
the  highest  happiness  of  his  creatures  must  consist  in  knowing,  and 
their  highest  duty  in  loving  him.  The  Maker  of  every  grand  and 
lovely  object  must  be  infinitely  grand  and  lovely  :  and  if  to  know 
his  works  be  good,  to  know  Himself  must  be  better  than  all.  But 
if  he  be  our  Maker,  if  in  him  ive  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being,  then  surely  it  must  be  our  most  urgent  concern  to  know  One 
with  whom  we  have  so  much  to  do.  If  he  be  our  Maker,  do  we 
owe  him  no  service  ?  If  our  Benefactor,  do  we  owe  him  no  thanks  ? 
If  he  be  our  Father,  must  we  not  love  hiui  ?  If  our  Master,  must 
we  not  fear  him  1  But  how  can  we  rentier  service  or  thanks,  love 
or  praise,  to  an  unknown  Being  ?  We  may  indeed  view  him  with 
a  servile  dread  ;  for  nature  itself  teaches  us  to  shrink  from  that  we 
do  not  know.  But  we  cannot  serve  God,  till  we  know  what  he 
requires  of  us.  We  cannot  thank  him,  till  we  know  what  he  has 
done  for  us.  We  cannot  love  God,  till  we  are  acquainted  with  his 
thoughts  and  purposes  towards  us.  Love,  such  as  deserves  the 
name,  implies  knowledge — communion — tried  excellence — unlim- 
ited confidence.  Those  dark,  shadowy,  undefined  notions  which  the 
Deist  entertains  of  God,  may  cause  a  slight  feeling  of  admiration, 
a  transient  glow  of  thankfulness  to  pass  across  his  bosom  ;  but  they 
will  produce  no  real,  substantial,  enduring  sentiment : — they  will 
never  make  him  love.  To  know  God  nnist  then  be  our  highest 
happiness,  whether  we  consider  his  intrinsic  excellence,  or  the  rela- 
tion in  which  we  stand  to  him  as  his  creatures.  And  as  the  Maker 
cannot  but  be  infinitely  greater  than  any  of  the  things  he  has  made  ; 
so  the  knowledge  of  God  cannot  but  be  infinitely  more  desirable  than 
the  knowledge  of  his  works. 

It  is  a  self-evident  proposition,  that  what  is  worth  having,  is  worth 
seeking.     If  then  the  knowledge  of  God  be  so  well  worth  having, 


228  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

it  must  be  proportionably  worth  seeking.  No  pains  can  possibly  be 
too  great  to  bestow  on  the  attainment  of  such  an  object.  I  am  not 
now  speaking  of  the  existence  of  God  as  undeniably  established.  I 
affirm,  that  the  hare possihility  that  a  being  so  glorious  and  excel- 
lent exists,  makes  it  worth  our  while  to  leave  the  contemplation  of 
everv  other  glory  and  every  other  excellence,  till  we  have  either  dis- 
covered this  great  original  of  all  that  is  excellent  and  glorious,  or  can 
give  satisfactory  proof  that  no  such  original  exists.  The  bare  pos- 
sibility that  there'  is  a  Being  who  stands  related  to  us  as  our  Creator 
and  Father,  renders  it  an  act  of  base  ingratitude,  not  to  inquire  after 
him,  that  we  may  fulfil  the  duties  which  those  relations  imply. 

Admit  then,  that  God  is  worth  knowing;  and  you  must  also 
admit  the  inevitable  consequence,  that  God  is  worth  seeking.  In- 
deed it  would  seem  superfluous  to  dwell  on  either  of  these  proposi- 
tions, were  it  not  that  in  our  own  little  corner  of  God's  universe, 
filled  with  a  set  of  God's  creatures,  who  style  themselves  reasona- 
ble beings,  there  are  yet  many  who  can  find  time  to  amass  stores  of 
human  learning,  time  to  perfect  themselves  in  all  the  wisdom  of  this 
world,  but  no  time  or  inclination  to  ask,  "where  is  God,  my  Maker, 
who  teacheth  me  more  than  the  beasts  of  the  earth,  and  maketh  me 
wiser  than  the  fowls  of  heaven?"  However,  let  your  actions  be 
what  they  may  ;  I  do  suppose  your  understandings  will  hardly 
refuse  their  assent  to  the  proposition,  that  the  knowledge  of  God,  if 
we  could  attain  to  it,  would  amply  repay  us  for  any  labor  we  might 
endure  in  the  altainment. 

Neither  will  you  be  disposed  to  contradict  my  next  assertion,  that 
whoever  this  glorious  Being  may  be,  the  world  is  in  a  state  of  great 
ignorance  and  confusion  respecting  his  nature  and  attributes,  and 
the  kind  of  duty  and  worship  that  is  due  to  him  from  his  creatures. 
A  single  glance  at  the  various  and  absurd  religions  of  mankind, 
may  suffice  to  convince  us,  that  God  is  not  universally,  or  even 
generally,  known  upon  the  earth.  Out  of  so  many  different  gods, 
only  one  can  be  the  true  God.  Out  of  so  many  different  religions, 
only  one  can  be  the  rigJit  religion.  Perhaps  you  will  say,  all  are 
equally  wrong.  Such  an  opinion  does  but  add  to  the  force  of  my 
proposition.  Whoever  God  is,  it  must  be  alike  obvious  both  to 
Christians  and  infidels,  that  the  world  in  general  knows  very  little 
about  him. 

If  you  agree  with  me  in  what  I  have  said:— if  you  admit  that 
God  is  worth  knowing,  and  that  he  is  worth  seeking,  in  an  infi- 
nitely higher  degree  than  any  thing  else  is  worth  knowing  or  seek- 
ing ;  and  if  you  also  perceive  that  mankind  are  in  a  state  of  igno- 
rance concerning  him  : — you  will  deeply  feel  the  importance  of  the 
incjuiry  I  am  about  to  propose.  How,  amidst  this  variety  of  con- 
flicting opinions,  shall  I  find  out  that  which  is  right  ?  Or,  if  all  are 
in  error,  where  shall  the  truth  be  sought?  What  possible  means 
can  I  take  to  become  acquainted  with  God  my  Maker? 

Does  reason,  does  common  sense,  suggest  no  answer  to  this  inqui- 
ry ?     Do  the  \  not  say, — "  Apply  for  information  to  the  only  Being 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 


229 


who  is  likely  to  give  it  you  7     In  plain  terms :  none  can  know 
God  so  well  as  he  knows  himself.     Therefore  ask  GodP 

This  method  appears  so  obvious,  so  direct  and  natural,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive  how  any  one  can  object  to  it,  or  hope  to  propose 
a  better.  Yet  it  is  this  very  method  which  infidels  will  neither 
themselves  seriously  try,  nor  permit  others  to  try,  if  they  can  help 
it.  Let  a  man  address  himself  in  good  earnest  to  prayer,  and  tl\ey 
will  immediately  set  him  down  for  a  person  of  a  weak  and  shallow 
understanding,  a  mere  superstitious  driveller.  Or,  if  he  be  known 
to  possess  a  powerful  and  commanding  intellect,  then  they  \s\\ 
lament  with  a  sigh  of  benevolent  regret,  that  so  great  a  man  should 
be  deformed  by  so  great  a  weakness.  But  if  the  praying  person 
should  carry  his  extravagance  to  such  a  height  as  to  persuade 
himself  that  God  hears  him  when  he  prays,  and  gives  him  what  he 
asks  for ; — by  what  name  will  they  designate  such  infatuation  ? 
They  waver  between  the  terms  of  hypocrite  and  madman  :  or, 
perhaps,  suspect  that  a  combination  of  these  characters  was  need- 
ful to  conduct  a  man  to  such  a  climax  of  absurdity.  And  all  this 
contempt  is  excited,  because  a  reasonable  being,  actuated  by  a  rea- 
sonable desire  to  know  the  Author  of  his  being,  and  by  a  reason<ible 
persuasion  that  none  can  teach  h>m  what  he  wants  to  know  so  well 
as  that  Author,  avoids  every  indirect  and  circuitous  method  of 
obtaining  the  desired  information,  and  applies  at  once  to  God  for 
the  knowledge  of  God. 

Why  should  it  seem  so  unaccountable  to  pray  to  God?  Why  so 
absurd  to  expect  an  answer  to  our  prayers  ?  1  could  let  you  into 
the  secret  cause  of  that  mingled  pily  and  disgust  with  which  you 
regard  those  who  pray.  But  for  the  present  I  forbear.  My  object 
is  to  prove  to  you  that  their  conduct  is  not  quite  so  absurd  as  you 
imagine.  To  apply  to  God  himself  for  the  knowledge  of  God,  is 
a  mode  of  proceeding  perfectly  just  and  rational.  It  is  so,  whether 
you  regard  the  existence  of  God  as  certain,  or  merely  admit  it  as 
possible. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  if  there  be  a  God,  he  must  be  in  full  pos- 
session of  the  information  you  require.  He  cannot  hut  know  Him- 
self. He  cannot  but  know  himself  better  than  any  other  being 
knows  Him.  He,  therefore,  who  desires  to  know  any  thing  about 
God,  and  would  apply  to  one  most  thoroughly  informed  on  the  sub- 
ject, m/ts/J  apj)ly  toGod.  This  is  inquiring  at  the  fountain-head. 
All  other  plans,  in  comparison  with  this,  appear  indirect,  far-fetched 
and  unnatural. 

2.  It  is.  also,  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  if  there  be  a  God,  He 
must  he  capable  of  hearing  all  that  his  creatures  say  to  him. 
Whether  they  address  him  with  their  lips,  or  only  in  the  secret  of 
their  hearts,  they  cannot  be  addressing  an  unconscious  God.  A 
God,  and  yet  unconscious  !  The  thing  is  impossible.  "He  who 
made  the  ear,  shall  he  not  hear  T  He  who  formed  the  heart,  shall 
he  not  know  what  is  passing  there?  If  we  speak  to  God,  the  prob- 
abilitv  of  his  hearing  us  is  the  same  with  the  probability  of  his 


^Q  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

existing  at  all.  On  the  other  hand,  the  argument,  if  you  can  find 
one,  which  shall  prove  God  to  be  unconscious  of  any  thing  that  we 
say  or  think,  will  at  once  set  aside  the  being  of  God  altogether. 
There  is  no  God : — or,  God  knows  all  that  is  in  our  hearts.  One 
of  these  two  propositions  must  be  true.  However  partial  and 
unworthy  notions  you  may  entertain  of  the  Supreme  Being,  you 
cannot,  in  this  enlightened  age,  imagine  him  to  be  ignorant  of  whai 
is  going  on  in  a  world  of  his  own  making.  Should  you,  at  any 
time,  feel  disposed  to  address  him,  you  will  not  surely  be  deterred  by 
the  fear  that  he  may  be  on  a  journey,  and  so  out  of  the  reach  of 
your  voice;  or  asleep,  and  therefore  unable  to  listen;  or  perplexed 
and  encumbered  wuth  such  a  multiplicity  of  affairs,  that  he  will  be 
too  busy  to  attend.  Despised  Christianity  has  taught  men  to  dis- 
card these  idle  notions.  If,  then,  there  be  any  absurdity  in  praying 
to  God,  it  certainly  cannot  arise  out  of  the  circumstance  of  God's 
being  incapable  of  hearing. 

3.  It  is  sufficiently  evident,  that  if  God  be  able  to  hear  our  peti- 
tions, he  is  also  able  to  gra7it  them,  if  he  please.  He  who  made 
our  understandings  at  first,  nmst  be  capable  of  illuminating  them. 
He  who  gave  us  such  capacities  for  knowing  him,  must  be  able  to 
satisfy  and  fill  up  those  capacities.  We  have  already  admitted 
that  he  must  be  fully  possessed  of  the  information  we  require. 
What  should  hinder  him  from  conveying  that  information  to  us,  if 
such  should  be  his  will  ?  Do  you  say  that  our  minds  are  incapable 
of  being  informed  on  so  difficult  a  subject?  You  have  no  means 
of  proving  such  an  assertion.  If  you  had,  it  would  be  no  way  to 
the  purpose,  unless  you  could  also  prove  that  God  cannot  render 
them  capable.  Does  it  comport  even  with  your  own  ideas  of  the 
Deity,  to  affirm  that  he  has  expended  the  whole  of  his  creative 
power  upon  the  mind  of  man,  so  that  he  really  can  do  nothing  more 
to  improve  or  enlarge  it?  As  rational  creatures,  we  nmst  be  capa- 
ble of  knowing  our  Creator  ;  and  God,  as  our  Creator,  tiiiist  be 
able  to  convey  to  our  minds  the  knowledge  of  Himself. 

4.  Again,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  as  God  is  able, 
so  he  is  willing  to  grant  our  petitions.  You  will,  perhaps,  tell  me 
that  it  is  presumptuous  to  imagine  that  a  Being  of  such  transcend- 
ent greatness  should  stoop  from  his  high  majesty  to  concern  liinjselt 
with  the  paltry  concerns  of  men.  Now,  I  conceive,  that  since  it 
w^as  not  inconsistent  with  the  dignity  of  God  to  make  us  at  first, 
we  are  warranted  to  conclude,  that  it  will  by  no  means  derogate 
from  his  greatness  to  care  about  us  when  we  are  made.  It  argues 
a  kind  of  puerile  inconsistency,  rather  than  Godlike  majesty,  to 
make  man,  and  then  throw  him  aside,  without  further  thought  of 
what  happens  to  him.  But  this  objection  takes  its  rise  in  a  nar- 
row understanding.  Because  you  cannot  attend  to  a  great  many 
things  at  a  time,  you  should  not  ti)ink  God  cannot.  Do  not  let 
comparisons  of  this  nature  mislead  you.  Be  assured  that  God's 
power  of  attention  cannot,  with  any  propriety,  be  measured  by 
yours.     His  mind  can  neither  be  oppressed  by  a  variety,   nor  en- 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  231 

cumbered  by  a  multiplicity  of  objects.  Witness  this  universe  which 
he  lias  created.  Nor  is  his  greatness  of  so  perishable  a  nature,  that 
it  can  receive  an  injury  by  stooping  to  the  lowest  or  meanest  object. 
The  little  dignitaries  of  the  earth  may  fear  to  attend  to  little  tilings 
lest  they  should  appear  incapable  of  what  is  great,  or  should  really 
neglect  it ;  for  they  cannot  attend  to  the  one  without  neglecting 
the  other.  It  is  not  so  with  God.  Do  you  say  that  he  will  not 
stoop  to  mind  little  things?  Look  around  you.  Behold  what 
minute  attention  he  has  bestowed  upon  thousands  of  object?,  which 
to  us  appear  small  and  insignificant !  See  how  curiously  he  has 
painted  the  wings  of  the  butterfly  !  How  softly  he  has  pencilled 
the  cups  of  the  snow-drop  !  Let  the  little  daisy,  which  you  care- 
lessly tread  under  foot,  declare  who  shaped  its  many  leaflets,  who 
tipped  them  with  crimson,  and  placed  in  the  midst  a  circle  of  gold. 
Which  of  the  birds  has  God  forgotten  to  feed  7  Which  of  the  in- 
sects, that  dance  in  the  sunbeams,  has  he  left  unfinished  for  want  of 
time,  or  because  of  their  insignificance  ?  How  has  he  descended  from 
his  majesty  to  give  lessons  of  wisdom  to  the  little  ant  and  the  bee  ! 
In  the  whole  kingdom  of  nature,  we  cannot  perceive  one  instance 
of  hasty  inattention,  or  of  supercilious  dignity.  God  has  forgotten 
nothing.  He  has  despised  nothing.  How  c'an  we  conceive  then, 
that  he  should  forget  or  despise  7<5.'  Why  should  the  prayers  of 
his  rational  creatures  alone  escape  his  notice  !  Why  should  their 
souls  be  too  insignificant  to  attract  his  benevolent  attention  7  Be- 
sides, what  should  induce  you  to  suppose,  that  a  soul  is  a  small  or 
valueless  thing  in  the  sight  of  God?  Think  you  that  he  has  laid 
out  so  much  wisdom  upon  making  and  informing  a  thing  of  little 
luortli.  /  He  has  made  us  capable  of  knowing  him.  This  marks 
our  value  in  his  sight;  for  nothing  can  be  worthless,  that  is  capable 
of  knowing  God.  And  it  affords  us  a  sufiftcient  intimation,  that  if 
we  ask  God  for  the  knowledge  of  which  he  has  made  us  capable, 
he  will  be  willing  to  give  it  to  us.  We  cannot  be  accused  of  offer- 
ing an  r.nreasonable  petition,  when  we  desire  only  to  know^  Him 
who  made  us ;  for  without  this  knowledge,  we  might  as  w^ell  have 
been  made  in  all  respects  like  the  irrational  creatures. 

5.  But  not  only  are  we  justified  in  supposing  that  God  is  willing 
to  teach  us  ;  we  have  also  every  reason  to  infer,  that  he  is  tnore 
willing  to  instruct  those  who  prai/,  than  those  who  do  not  pray  to 
him  ;  to  bestow  his  gifts  upon  tliose  who  appear  desirous  of  obtain- 
ing them,  rather  than  upon  those  who  set  on  them  no  value  whatever. 
For  a  creature  not  to  seek  the  knowledge  of  his  Creator,  is  a  neg- 
lect which  bespeaks  him  to  be  sunk  in  the  most  hopeless  stupidity, 
and  the  vilest  ingratitude.  To  revel  in  the  gifts,  and  forget  the 
giver,  or  to  remember  him  with  indifference  ;  to  thirst  after  earthly 
wisdom,  and  yet  to  have  no  ardent  aspirations  after  Him  who  is 
the  fountain  of  true  wisdom ;  argues  such  gross  perverseness  and 
inconsistency,  that  we  cannot  nmch  wonder,  if  God  should  leave 
those  wiio  are  guilty  of  it,  to  grope  in  their  own  cherished  igno- 
rance.    But  to  pretend  that  we   aspire  to  know  God,  and  yet  to 


THE    TEST    OP    TRUTH. 

neglect  even  the  efToit  of  asking  Him  to  teach  us  : — this  is  indeed 
to  add  to  all  other  crimes,  that  barefaced  hypocrisy,  which  can 
scarcely  impose  upon  men,  and  is  openly  insulting  to  God.  Little 
as  we  know  of  this  infinite  Being,  the  secret  instinct,  which  himself 
has  planted  in  our  hearts,  may  teach  us,  that  he  will  not  probably 
bestow  his  most  precious  gifts  without  some  expression  of  desire  on 
our  part.  He  may  reasonably  expect  that  we  should  not  show  our- 
selves quite  insensible  to  our  need  of  this  divine  teaching,  and  may 
justly  conclude,  that  what  we  do  not  choose  to  solicit,  we  do  nut 
desire  to  obtain. 

But  I  think  I  hear  you  reply — "Shall  I  offer  such  an  insult  fo 
the  Omniscience  of  God,  as  to  imagine  that  he  needs  to  be  informed 
of  my  wants?"  Who  requires  you  to  entertain  so  absurd  a  suppo- 
sition? We  do  not  tell  you  that  prayer  is  necessary  for  God's 
information,  but  for  your  relief.  He  may  know  all  your  wants, 
and  yet  require  that  you  should  have  a  sense  of  them,  and  should 
express  that  sense  to  him  before  he  will  grant  you  a  supply.  He 
may  know  that  prayer,  as  the  means  of  softening,  humbling,  and 
purifying  your  hearts,  is  not  the  least  pressing  of  your  necessities. 
He  who  has  made  you  capable  of  receiving  consolation  by  pouring 
out  your  troubles  into  the  bosom  of  a  friend,  may  be  willing  that 
you  should  enjoy  the  infinitely  superior  relief  of  confiding  your 
wants  and  sorrows  to  the  ear  of  his  mercy.  None  of  these  suppo- 
sitions are  impossible  or  improbable,  even  upon  your  own  notions 
of  Deity.  Inasmuch  as  you  believe  that  God  is  an  exalted  and  a 
benevolent  Being,  they  are  far  more  probable  than  the  contrary 
supposition. 

You  reason  more  justly  on  points  which  aflect  your  temporal 
interests.  You  do  not  refuse  to  plough  and  sow,  to  plant  and  water, 
because  God  already  k7tows  that  you  want  the  fruits  of  the  earth, 
and  ought  therefore  to  give  them  to  you  without  your  wearisome 
toil.  You  care  not  to  spend  many  an  anxious  hour  in  the  acquisi- 
tion of  useful  knowledge,  because  God  knows  that  it  would  be  very 
useful  to  you,  and  is  therefore  bound  to  instil  it  into  your  mind 
without  your  pains.  No:  in  these  things  your  worldly  interest  or 
pleasure  is  concerned.  You  have  a  real  desire  for  them.  And 
therefore,  instead  of  sitting  down  to  philosophize  on  the  part  that 
God  ought  to  take  on  the  occasion,  you  immediately  sit  yourself  to 
do  -what  yon  can  :  and  employ,  without  hesitation,  whatever  means 
seem  best  siiited  to  your  purpose. 

Prayer  seems  to  be  the  only  direct  and  rational  means  of  obtain- 
ing the  knowledge  of  God.  For  there  is  no  other  being  in  the  uni- 
verse, to  whom  we  can  apply  with  such  certainty  of  not  being 
misled.  Yet  truly  you  will  not  pray  to  God,  because  he  needs  none 
of  your  information.  If  you  really  longed  to  acquaint  yourself 
with  God,  tlie  sense  of  your  need  would  force  from  you  the  most 
earnest  supplications  :  nor  would  you  be  at  leisure  to  consider 
whether  or  no  you  were  conveying  to  hiiu  a  piece  of  gratuitous 
information.     The  heart  that  is  touched  with  a  desire  to  know  God, 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 


233 


will  be  lifting  itself  up  in  prayer,  while  others  arc  reasoning  upon 
the  propriety  of  so  doing. 

Again,  altliough  God  is  not  ignorant  how  much  we  need  to  be 
rightly  informed  about  bim,  yet  the  state  of  tlie  world  affords  suffi- 
cient proof  that  be  bas  not  in  all  cases  relieved  this  necessity.  So 
that  his  perfect  knowledge  of  our  wants  does  not,  as  an  inevitable 
consequence,  and  without  any  application  on  our  parts,  produce  the 
relief  of  our  wants.  Besides,  you  have  already  waited  some  twenty, 
thirty,  forty  years.  All  this  time  God  has  been  aware  of  your  need 
of  instruction.  Yet  you  are  still  in  a  state  of  doubt  and  ignorance. 
Surely  you  have  waited  long  enough  to  see  whether  God  will  grant 
a  spontaneous  relief  to  your  necessities.  It  is  now  high  time  to 
employ  means  for  the  attainment  of  your  wish.  And  since  prayer 
has  been  shown  to  be  the  most  hkely  and  natural  means,  let  me 
advise  you  at  once  to  try  what  prayer  can  do  for  you.  At  all 
events,  you  will  not  (hen  have  to  reproach  yourself  with  having  lost 
the  best  blessing  in  the  universe  for  want  of  asking. 

6.  But,  lastly,  whatever  be  the  result  of  your  prayers,  they  cer- 
tainhj  cannot  leave  ynii  in  a  worse  condition  than  before.  For 
supposing  even  that  Gol  should  refuse  to  grant  your  petition,  it  is 
of  all  thi'iigs  the  most  unlikely  and  inconceivable,  that  he  shoubl 
take  a  malignant  pleasure  in  thwarting  your  desires,  by  giving  you 
the  very  contrary  of  what  you  ask.  Should  he  refuse  to  give  you 
knowledge,  he  will  not  at  least  visit  you  with  an  increase  of  igno- 
rance and  delusion.  The  argument  with  which  Jesus  Christ  urges 
this  subject,  if  not  divinely  uttered,  is,  to  say  tlie  least  of  it,  the 
most  wise,  appropriate  and  convincing,  that  ever  fell  from  the  lips 
of  man  or  angel. 

^'-  If  a  son  shall  ask  bread  of  any  of  you  that  is  a  father,  ivill 
he  give  him  a  stone  ?  or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  ivill  he  for  a  fish  give 
him  a  serpent  7  or  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg,  loill  he  offer  him  a 
scorpion  ?     If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 

GIFTS    unto     your    CHILDREN,  HOW    MUCH    MORE    SHALL    YOUR 

Heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that 


ASK  HIM 


The  simple  majesty  of  this  appeal  must  find  its  way  to  every 
bosom.  It  must  be  felt  by  all,  whose  hearts  have  throbbed  with  a 
parent's  love,  or  wliose  wants  have  been  supplied  by  a  parent's 
bounty.  It  applies  to  the  ideas  which  the  Deist  entertains  of  God, 
as  well  as  to  those  which  are  cherished  by  the  follower  of  Jesus. 
According  to  your  own  notions  (if  notions  you  may  be  said  to  have, 
Vvdiere  all  is  so  vague  and  indistinct),  you  reject  with  abhorrence 
the  iilea,  that  the  God  who  made  and  who  preserves  you,  is  an 
Unnatural  Father,  who,  with  wanton  cruelty,  would  thwart  the 
noblest  aim  and  cast  down  the  most  reasonable  hope  of  his  own 
offspring.  Such  a  character  of  God  is  not  to  be  found  in  the 
wildest  ravings  of  impiety.  Could  any  one  believe  this  of  God, 
despair  would  soon  prey  upon  bis  existence.  Yet  this  principle 
*  Luke  XI.  11—13. 


S34 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 


you  indirecd}''  maintain  : — this  solemn  insult  you  offer  to  the  char- 
acter of  God  ;  when  you  assert  that  habits  of  prayer  lead  to 
enthusiasm.  Not  only  so,  but  you  outrage  the  coiumon  sense  and 
common  feeling  of  mankind,  which  declare,  as  by  an  instinct 
implanted  by  the  Giver  of  life  himself,  that  a  father  cannot  turn 
the  petition  of  his  child  into  derision.  But  you  say,  that  I  he  great, 
the  original  Father,  can  and  does  act  thus  in  opposition  to  his  own 
universal  law.  You  say,  that,  when  his  children  ask  bread,  he 
mocks  them  with  a  stone;  when  they  implore  food,  he  offers  them 
nought  but  the  scorpion's  venom.  When  a  man,  deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  his  ignorance,  asks  of  God  the  knowledge  of  his 
holy  will:  no  sooner  does  he  betake  himself  to  this  way  of  gaining 
information,  than  you  cry  out,  that  he  is  possessed  with  the  spirit 
of  enthusiasm  and  delusion.  The  more  earnestly  and  frequently 
he  entreats  God  to  give  him  light  and  truth,  the  more  deluded  you 
think  him  ;  that  is  [for  it  loill  bear  no  other  interpretation),  you 
think  that  God  derides  the  requests  of  his  creatures,  and  forces 
them  deeper  into  the  maze  of  ignorance  and  error,  for  no  other 
reason,  but  because  they  have  stretched  out  their  hands  to  Him  to 
extricate  them.  Ye  who  profess  to  make  reason  your  guide,  tell 
me,  was  it  reason  that  led  you  to  this  conclusion  ?  Where  will 
you  find  in  the  Bible  any  mode  of  arguing  half  so  absurd  as  this  is? 

A  brief  recapitulation  of  the  above  observations  may  not  be 
unnecessary.  We  have  remarked,  that  God  must  be  in  full  posses- 
sion of  the  information  we  require: — that,  he  must  be  able  to  hear 
us  when  we  pray  to  him  : — able  to  give  us  what  we  ask: — that  we 
have  great  reason  to  infer  that  he  is  rDiUing  to  hear  and  teach 
us: — i7iore  willing  to  teach  those  who  ask  him,  than  those  who  do 
not  ask  him  : — and  lastly,  that,  be  the  result  of  our  application 
what  it  may,  it  cannot  leave  us  in  a  worse  state  than  we  were  in 
before.  From  all  these  things  I  infer,  that  to  seek  the  knowledge 
of  God  by  prayer  is  no  absurd  or  irrational  mode  of  procedure  :  nay 
more,  that  the  expediency  of  prayer  is  in  the  same  ratio  with  the 
probability  of  God's  existence.  Or,  to  accommodate  myself  to  the 
lowest  degree  of  l>elief ;  the  very  slightest  possibility  that  there  is  a 
God,  affords  an  equal  possibility  that  he  may  instruct  us  in  answer 
to  our  prayers,  and  therefore  renders  the  act  of  prayer  reasonable 
and  expedient.  The  saying  of  Jesus  Christ — "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be 
given  you:" — "God  will  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him  ;"* — ^is  not  only  the  voice  of  the  Bible,  but  the  voice  of  reason, 
the  voice  of  nature,  and,  therefore,  the  voice  of  God. 

But  we  have  hitherto  considered  this  saying  only  in  itself.  I 
propose,  secondly,  to  consider  it  in  connection  with  the  book  in  which 
it  is  written,  and  to  propose  it  as  a  fair  and  sufficient  test  of  the 
truth  or  falsehood  of  that  book. 

It  appears,  from  the  common  confession  of  Christians  and  Infidels, 
that  the  world  is,  to  say  the  least,  not  very  well  furnished  with  the 
knowledge  of  its   Maker.      Nothing,  therefore,    which  offers   the 

*  Luke  xi.  9,  13. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  235 

smallest  hope  of  obtaining  light  upon  this  momentous  subject,  ought 
to  be  passed  over  without  inquiry.  A  book  has  been  handed  down 
to  us,  professing  to  be  a  revelation  from  God  to  man,  and  offering 
him  all  tbe  knowledge  of  which  he  stands  in  need.  This  book  is 
by  some  blindly  embraced,  for  the  very  same  reason  tbat  would 
have  induced  them,  under  other  circumstances,  to  have  adopted  the 
Alcoian,  the  Shaster,  or  the  Zendevesta.  Others  profess  to  receive 
it  upon  rational  grounds  of  conviction,  and  to  hold  actual  communi- 
cation with  the  Deity  who  is  revealed  in  its  sacred  message.  A 
third  party  reject  the  book  altogether,  and  cast  it  from  them  wath 
every  mark  of  contempt.  With  these  last  I  would  now  speak.  Do 
not  reject  even  the  Bible,  till  you  have  put  its  truth  or  falsehood 
fairly  to  the  test.  But  you  say,  "  How  are  we  to  try  it?  all  the 
evidence  we  meet  with  appears  to  us  insufficient.  We  refuse  to  give 
credit  to  the  writings  of  the  Apostles.  We  never  saw  the  miracles 
they  relate  ;  they  are  not,  therefore,  calculated  for  our  conviction. 
Such  things  are  contrary  to  our  experience,  shock  our  common  sense, 
and  we  write  'imposture'  upon  them  all.  As  for  the  revelation 
they  pretend  to  have  received  from  God  ;  that  revelation  never 
came  to  us.  We  are  in  no  respect  benefited  by  it.  If  God  will 
have  us  to  believe  as  they  did,  he  must  reveal  himself  to  us  as  he 
did  to  them.  We  cannot  receive  the  thing  at  second-hand.  When 
the  God  of  the  Scriptures  shall  fcivor  us  by  revealing  himself  to  us  ; 
when  he  shall  afford  us  some  infallible  test  whereby  we  may  prove 
that  his  word  is  true ; — then  we  will  open  our  minds  to  conviction. 
But  till  then,  we  must  retain  our  doubts  upon  the  subject." 

Such  is  the  reasoning  we  repeatedly  hear  from  the  lips  of  Infidels. 
I  will  not  now  stop  to  admire  the  self-complacency,  with  which  you 
boldy  pronounce  a  thing  to  be  impossible,  because  it  has  never  hap- 
pened within  the  little  span  of  your  experience;  and  unreasonable, 
because  it  surpasses  the  narrow  bounds  of  your  understanding. 
Neither  will  I  pause  to  extol  the  spirit,  with  which,  as  a  creature, 
you  tiiink  proper  to  dictate  to  your  Creator.  Waving  all  considera- 
tion of  the  terms  in  which  you  express  yourself,  I  admit  the  general 
truth  of  your  proposition.  I  am  persuaded,  tjiat  you  never  will 
believe  the  Scriptures,  till  God  himself  "  opens  your  understanding 
to  understand  the  Scriptures."  And  I  assure  you  that  these  same 
Scriptures  contain  abundant  provision  against  the  difficulties  you 
have  raised.  They  offer  you  ample  means  of  proving,  bi/  your  ovj/t 
personal  experience,  whether  they  be  true  or  false.  That  im- 
7nedlate  revelation  which  you  profess  to  desire,  is  actually  pro- 
■mised  to  yon  upon  the  simple  condition  of  your  asking  for  it. 
"  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  youP* 

What  is  the  gift  here  promised?  It  is  no  other  than  "  the  Spirit 
of  wisdom  and  revelation,  who  shall  guide  you  into  all  truth." 
"  For  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth  ; 
and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.     For  if  ye,  being  evil. 

*  See  the  Author's  interesting  and  satisfactory  application  of  this  Test  to  her  own 
case,  pp.  64 — 07. 


236  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more 
shall  ynar  Heavenly  Father  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that 
ask  him  ?" 

Take  Jesus  Christ  at  his  word.  The  experiment  is  at 
once  simple  and  decisive.  Siiould  it  fail,  you  will  then  have  some 
reason  to  reject  the  Bible.  Truth,  immutable  truth,  is  one  of  the 
attributes  which  reason  and  Scripture  concur  in  ascribing  to  God. 
We  cannot  form  to  ourselves  the  conception  of  a  God  who  can  lie. 
To  divest  God  of  his  attribute  of  truth,  is  to  strip  him  of  his  God- 
head ;  to  bring  him  down  to  a  level  with  ourselves.  The  Bible 
makes  this  a  grand  distinction  between  God  and  man:  "God  is 
not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie."  "  He  is  ever  mindful  of  his  cove- 
nant"— but  they,  liketnen,  "have  transgressed  the  covenant."* 

Here,  then,  the  question  is  brought  within  a  very  narrow  compass. 
If  the  Creator  of  the  universe  be  the  same  God  who  is  revealed  in 
the  Scriptures,  he  cannot  but  honor  his  own  word  of  promise.  He 
has  pledged  himself: — he  cannot  hut  redeem  his  pledge.  Every 
attribute  of  the  Deity  binds  him  to  the  performance  of  his  promise. 
His  name,  his  great  and  terrible  name,  is  dishonored  forever  in  the 
sight  of  men  and  angels,  if  he  fail  to  fulfil  this  word  which  is  past, 
and  cannot  he  recalled: — "God  will  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to  them 
that  ask  him."  Such  is  the  Scripture  account.  If  it  be  false,  you 
have  an  easy  way  to  detect  its  falsehood.  If  true,  it  is  in  your 
power  to  convince  yourself  of  its  truth.  Put  to  the  test  this  bold 
assertion.  Ask  your  Heavenly  Father  to  give  you  his  Holy  Spirit. 
If  your  prayer  be  granted,  the  Bible,  with  all  its  rich  proffers  of 
present  peace  and  eternal  happiness,  will  become  your  portion  and 
reward  forever.  If,  on  the  contrary,  your  ardent,  persevering 
prayers  should  bring  down  no  supplies  of  light  and  knowledge  from 
above,  then  you  may  not  only  with  great  justice  pronounce  the 
Bible  to  be  an  impudent  imposture  ;  but  you  will  be  justified  in 
doubting  whether  there  be  any  God  at  all. 

I  woidd  press  this  upon  you,  because  no  external  evidence^  how- 
ever satisfactory,  is  of  itself  suflTicient  to  produce  conviction.  The 
proof  must  be  written  by  the  finger  of  God  upon  your  heart.  It 
must  be  the  result  of  your  own  actual  and  personal  experience. 
"No  man  can  say,"  from  the  heart,  "that  Jesus  is  the  Lord,  but 
hy  the  Holy  Ghost.^'  If  you  believe  in  Jesus,  it  must  be  because 
God  has  revealed  Jesus  in  your  soul.  This  revelation  is  promised 
by  God  to  all  that  ask  him.  Upon  slighter  grounds  you  ought  not 
to  believe  such  momentous  truths.  With  less  than  this  you  ought 
not  to  be  satisfied.  Permit  me,  before  I  quit  this  subject,  to  urge 
you,  by  a  few  unanswerable  arguments,  to  put  the  Bible  to  this  test. 
The  task  might  almost  appear  superfluous :  but  the  perverseness 
of  the  human  heart  is  beyond  conception,  and  requires  to  be  com- 
bated where  it  would  be  least  suspected  of  resistance. 

First,  then,  I  woidd  remark  to  you,  that  there  is  something  in 
this  saying,  which  stamps  on  it  an  air  of  conscious  honesty  and 

♦  Nuiiib.  xxiii.  19.     I'sulin  cxi.  :'.     Josliua  vii.  11. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  237 

veracity.  An  artful  person  would  hardly  have  committed  himself 
so  grossly.  A  liar  would  have  hesitated  to  expose  himself  to  such 
immediate  detection.  An  impostor  would  not  willingly  have  courted 
such  close  examination.  Those  who  forge  the  current  coin  of  the 
nation,  are  the  least  likely  to  furnish  us  with  a  method  of  distin- 
guisliing  the  counterfeit.  Iflwishto  palm  upon  you  a  fictitious 
account  of  any  person,  that  person  himself  would  surely  be  the  last 
to  whom  I  siiould  choose  to  refer  you  for  the  truth  of  my  account. 
Still  more  absurd  would  such  a  reference  be,  if  I  knew  tliat  it  was 
in  the  power  of  the  said  person  instantly  to  detect  and  expose  my 
falsehood.  But  the  Bible  gives  you  q,n  account  of  God,  and  then 
refers  you  to  God  himself  for  the  confirmation  of  that  account. 
Nor  is  this  one  of  those  ranting,  contemptible  appeals  to  the  Deity, 
with  which  men  will  sometimes  seek  to  cloak  their  falsehood,  or 
to  vent  their  enthusiasm.  It  is  a  calm,  sober,  deliberate  assur- 
ance ;  founded  on  the  benevolence  and  wisdom  of  the  Divine  Being. 
Foreseeing  all  the  doubts  and  difficulties  which  would  obstruct  the 
reception  of  his  Gospel,  Jesus  himself  vouchsafes  to  point  out  a  ready 
way  of  arriving  at  the  truth.  He  founds  his  arguments  on  the 
strongest  and  most  universal  principles  of  natural  religion.  Would 
you  know  whether  he  is  indeed  a  teacher  sent  from  God?  He 
refers  you  to  God  himself  for  an  answer.  He  declares  to  you  that 
you  cannot  believe  him  to  be  the  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Gliost.  At 
the  same  time  He  soleinnbj  promises  that  his  Holy  Spirit  shall 
he  given  to  you  upon  your  asking. 

Try  now  whether  he  is  able  to  keep  his  promise  or  no.  Who- 
ever God  is,  he  will  not  refuse  to  instruct  you  at  your  request.  Or 
should  he  refuse,  he  will  not  at  least  lend  himself  to  delude  and 
ensnare  you.  Jesus  tells  you  that  his  doctrine  is  the  bread  of  life. 
Should  it,  on  the  contrary,  prove  to  be  nothing  better  than  a  stone 
or  a  scorpion,  be  assured  tliat  your  .Heavenly  Father  will  not  force 
it  upon  you,  when  you  ask  him  for  bread. 

The  next  remark  I  will  offer  for  your  consideration  is,  that  how- 
ever secure  you  may  think  yourself  in  your  rejection  of  Christi- 
anity, it  is  possible  you  may  be  mistaken.  I  say,  it  is  possible, 
that  you  may,  after  all,  be  in  the  wrong.  Not  all  your  security 
can  reach  so  far  as  to  preclude  this  possibility  ;  and  what  an  eter- 
nity of  despair  does  it  involve  !  Your  judgment  is  not  infallible. 
If  you  think  you  have  no  proof  that  the  Scriptures  are  divinely 
inspired,  you  know  assuredly  that  you  have  no  proof  to  the  con- 
trary. A  mistake  here  is  no  trifling  matter.  You  had  better  play 
the  fool  on  any  other  subject  than  on  this ;  for  should  things  turn 
out  contrary  to  your  expectations,  you  will  bitterly  curse  your  folly. 
The  idiot,  the  madman,  may  sport  with  this  tremendous  uncer- 
tainty. But  the  wise  man  will  consider  every  possible  contingency. 
I  repeat,  that  it  is  possible  your  contempt  of  the  Bible  may  be 
unfounded.  Place  this  as  far  off  as  you  are  able.  Still  you  can- 
not deny  that  it  is  possible. 

Reflect  now,  I  beseech  you,  on  another  possibility,  which  hangs 


238  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

on  the  one  I  have  just  mentioned.  It  is  possible  that  you  may 
one  day  stand  before  the  judgment  scat  of  Christ.  Should  such 
an  event  take  place,  what  excuse  will  you  offer  for  having  rejected 
the  Gospel,  when  Jesus  himself  pointed  out  to  you  so  simple  and 
unfailing  a  (est  of  its  truth?  Will  you  not  stand  condemned  even 
in  your  own  eyes?  Will  not  conscience  upbraid  you  with  the 
incredible  infatuation,  with  wliich  you  refused  to  give  the  word  of 
God  a  fair  trial?  Say — will  not  your  rejection  of  the  test  I  now 
offer  you,  if — which  God  forbid  !  you  do  reject  it — will  not  this  be 
a  dreadful  aggravation  of  your  crime?  You  cannot  plead  igno- 
rance, when  knowledge  was  offered  you  at  so  easy  a  rate.  You 
cannot  plead  uncertainty  when  so  ready  a  way  of  solving  every 
doubt  was  pointed  out  to  you  by  Him,  who  will  then  be  your 
Judge.  You  might  have  asked  and  received.  You  might  have 
sought  and  found.  Then  will  you  justly  be  left  to  ask  and  to  seek 
in  vain.  Now  Christ  says,  "Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you." 
Reject  his  offer — and  this  very  word  which  he  has  spoken  to  you, 
will  judge  you  in  that  day. 

Not  only  will  you  then  appear  without  excuse  before  God  ;  but, 
whether  the  Bible  be  true  or  false,  if  you  refuse  to  try  it  by  this 
criterion,  you  are  now  without  excuse  before  men  and  your  own 
conscience.  Such  a  refusal  speaks  for  itself  It  says — "I  love 
darkness  rather  than  light,  I  will  not  come  to  the  light,  lest  my 
deeds  should  be  reproved."*  It  "says  to  the  Almighty,  'Depart 
from  me;  for  I  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways.'"t  Such 
conduct  is  not  founded  in  reasoti ;  for  reason  forbids  us  to  condemn 
what  we  have  not  tried.  It  is  not  supported  by  philosophy  ;  for  it 
is  her  character  to  use  every  possible  means  for  the  discovery  of 
truth,  and  the  detection  of  error.  It  is  not  consistent  with  honesty  ; 
for  what  can  be  more  dishonest  than  to  plead  the  absence  of  suffi- 
cient proof  as  a  reason  for  not  believing  ;  and  yet,  when  that  proof 
is  offered,  to  decline  taking  the  necessary  steps  for  its  attainment ! 
It  is  easy  to  perceive  the  secret  spring  of  a  refusal,  which  is  equally 
incompatible  with  the  dictates  of  reason,  philosophy,  and  honesty. 
You  do  dot  wish  to  have  your  prejudices  removed.  You  have 
chosen  error,  and  you  hold  it  fast.  You  would  rather  not  know 
any  thing  about  him  that  made  you.  Self  is  your  idol ;  and  how 
can  you  desire  to  become  acquainted  with  One,  whose  presence  in 
your  soul  would  destroy  all  self-pleasing,  and  self-exaltation  for- 
ever ? 

However,  we  have  a  right  to  expect,  that  if  you  will  not  make 
TRIAL  of  the  truth  of  Christ's  word,  you  will  at  once  confess,  that 
all  your  boasted  candor  and  philosoph}^  were  mere  pretences,  held 
forth  to  conceal  the  reality  of  your  enmity  against  God.  Till  you 
have  tried  this  test,  may  not  the  terms,  fanaticism  and  delusion, 
with  far  greater  reason  be  used  to  designate  your  rejection,  than 
our  belief  of  Christianity? 

Again,  supposing  the  Bible  to  be  false,  you  lose  nothing  by  hav- 
•  See  John  iii.  19,  20.  f  See  Job  xxi.  14. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  239 

ing  brought  it  to  this  touchstone.  The  trial,  if  it  should  fail,  will 
but  leave  you  just  as  you  was  before.  Nay,  it  will  be  so  far  an 
advantage  that  you  will  have  the  pleasure  of  detecting  a  bare- 
faced fraud,  and  will  be  effectually  freed  from  those  secret  misgiv- 
ings which  you  cannot  now  altogether  exclude. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Scriptures  be  true,  lioio  immensely 
will  yon  gain  by  the  experiment !  Instead  of  a  few  vague  ill- 
defined  notions  of  God,  you  will  be  able  to  say — "  I  knoia  in  whom 
I  have  believed  ;" — '•  this  God  is  my  God  forever  and  ever  ;"*  your 
short-lived  participation  of  unholy  mirth  will  be  exchanged  for  "a 
joy  with  wliich  no  stranger  intermeddleth"t — your  cold  and  sullen 
fortitude,  for  a  peace  which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take 
away — your  comfortless  prospect  of  annihilation,  for  a  hope  full  of 
immortality. 

The  last  consideration  I  shall  urge  upon  you,  is,  that  this  is  the 
only  fair  test  hij  which  the  Bible  can  be  tried.  For  if  you  refuse 
to  be  guided  by  this  criterion,  there  is  but  one  other  to  which  you 
can  possibly  recur.  You  may,  if  you  please,  bring  the  Scriptures 
to  the  bar  of  human  reason,  and  reject  them  because  you  find 
many  things  you  do  not  comprehend,  and  many  that  you  do  not 
approve.     But  these  grounds  of  rejection  are  insufficient. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  if  the  Bible  be  true,  its  Author  is  God. 
Now  there  is  between  your  mind  and  the  mind  of  God  an  incon- 
ceivable distance.  It  is  extremely  probable  that  many  things 
may  appear  to  His  infinitely  comprehensive  understanding,  in  a 
light  totally  different  from  that  in  which  they  are  viewed  by  your 
limited  reason.  To  use  the  words  of  the  Bible  itself,  it  is  possible 
that  "  God's  ways  may  not  be  as  your  ways,  nor  his  thoughts  as 
your  thoughts."!:  If  then  His  Boole  should  turn  out  to  be  some- 
what diiTerent  from  the  Bible  which  yon  would  have  written,  I 
really  do  not  see  that  this  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  rejecting  it. 
Consider  the  vast  difference  of  ideas  which  inequality  of  intellect 
creates  between  two  beings  of  the  same  nature  ; — a  child  and  a 
man.  Set  before  a  little  child  the  Elements  of  Euclid,  or  the  Prin- 
cipia  of  Newton.  Will  they  not  be  foolishness  to  him  ?  Or  pre- 
sent him  with  the  last  debates  in  the  houses  of  Parliament,  and  re- 
quest his  opinion  upon  the  disputed  point ;  the  justness  of  the  argu- 
ments in  its  favor,  or  the  force  of  those  that  were  opposed  to  it. 
Is  he  capable  of  forming  a  correct  estimate  of  these  things?  But 
these  are  matters  that  do  not  immediately  concern  him.  Well 
then,  let  me  propose  that  you  acquaint  him  with  the  plans  you 
may  have  formed  for  his  education  and  fortune;  the  studies  he 
will  have  to  pursue,  with  their  different  degrees  of  usefulness  ;  the 
snares  that  will  be  laid  for  his  youth,  and  the  anxieties  that  await 
his  manhood.  When  you  have  finished  your  statement,  let  the 
young  reasoner  be  called  upon  to  give  his  ideas  on  the  subject,  and 
point  out  how  far  your  remarks  meet  with  his  appoval.  All  this 
appears  very  absurd  to  you.  But  it  is  without  comparison  more 
*  2  Tim.  i.  12.     Psalm  xlviii.  14.  t  Prov.  xiv.  14.  %  Isaiah  Iv.  8. 


240  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

absurd  to  fancy  yourself  capable  of  judging  of  the  authenticity  of 
God's  word,  by  its  agreement  or  disagreement  with  your  own  most 
imperfect  notions. 

Notwithstanding  the  child's  incapacity  of  judgment,  he  is  in  one 
respect  a  better  reasoner  than  yourself.  Strange  and  unaccountable 
as  your  sentiments  must  sometimes  appear  to  him,  he  does  not 
therefore  reject  them  as  absurd  or  untrue.  He  knows  that  it  is 
owing  to  the  imperfection  of  his  own  mind  that  things  appear  so 
differently  to  him  from  what  they  do  to  you.  This  feeling  sense  of 
his  own  inferiority  is  the  best  preservative  from  error.  But  you 
cannot  bring  yourself  to  confess  that  the  judgment  of  God  may 
often  dilfer  exceedingly  from  your  judgment;  nay,  that  they  may 
be  directly  contrary  the  one  to  the  other.  You  cannot  condescend 
to  be  inferior  to  God,  and  to  learn  of  God ;  submitting  your  mind 
to  His,  as  a  little  child  submits  his  inind  to  the  mind  of  his  father. 

Yet  between  the  understanding  of  the  child  and  the  man,  there 
is  no  such  great  difference.  It  is  but  the  distance  between  finite 
and  finite;  between  worm  and  worm.  But  between  man  and  God 
-—between  finite  and  infinite — between  the  mind  that  thinks  and 
the  mind  that  creates  thought; — who  shall  calculate  the  dilFerence? 
It  is  immeasurable,  incompreliensible.  Imagination  would  grasp 
at  the  idea  ; — but  it  is  too  mighty  for  her.  We  can  but  express  it 
by  another  incommensurable  distance — "  surely  as  the  heavens  are 
higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  God's  thoughts  higher  than  our 
thoughts,  and  his  ways  than  our  ways."*  Poor,  pitiful,  narrow- 
iTiinded  creatures  that  we  are  !  If  God  does  but  give  to  one  of  our 
fellow-creatures  a  mind  a  few  degrees  greater  than  our  own,  we 
can  scarcely  judge  of,  or  appreciate  tliat  mind,  by  reason  of  our 
own  low  and  short-sighted  prejudices.  Yet  we  presume  to  think 
of  measuring  the  Infinite,  of  comprehending  the  incomprehensible 
mind  of  God  !  We  bring  the  Onmiscient  down  to  the  bar  of  hu- 
man judgment;  and  insist  upon  his  expressing  himself  according 
to  our  weak  and  varying  notions  of  propriety  ! 

It  is  not  then  any  argument  against  a  book  said  to  be  written  by 
God,  if  it  should  contain  many  things  above  the  reason  of  man. 
For  we  are  infinitely  less  capable  of  judging  of  what  ought  or  ought 
not  to  be  the  mind  of  God,  llian  an  infant  is  to  decide  upon  the 
thoughts  and  counsels  of  the  most  eminent  statesman  or  philosopher. 

But  you  will  perhaps  reply,  that,  supposing  you  had  written  a 
book  expressly  for  the  use  of  your  child,  you  would  have  taken  care 
to  acconmiodate  it  to  his  capacity  ;  and  that  it  is  reasonable  in  like 
manner  to  infer,  that  if  God  had  written  a  book  expressly  for  our 
use,  he  would  have  stooped  to  the  narrowness  of  our  understandings. 
I  admit  the  justice  of  your  inference.  But  permit  me  to  make 
another  su[)position.  Put  the  case  that  you  had  written  a  book 
for  your  child's  use,  and  that  you  were  to  warn  him  beforehand 
that  he  would  find  many  tilings  too  difficult  for  iiis  unassisted  com- 
prehension ;  which  things,  if  he  would  ask  you,  you  would  render 

*  See  Isaiah  Iv.  9. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  241 

perfectl}^  intelligible  to  him.  Would  the  child  then  have  reason  to 
complain  that  the  meaning  of  the  book  was  obscure  to  him  ?  Sure- 
ly not.  Now  this  is  what  the  Bible  assures  you  that  God  has 
done.  He  has  written  a  book  foi-  the  use  of  men,  which,  oy  rea- 
son of  their  imperfect  and  incorrect  views,  they  cannot  of  them- 
selves fully  understand.  He  has  told  them,  that  if  they  will  ask 
of  Him,  He  will  make  it  plain  and  intelligible  to  them.  Whether 
this  account  be  true  or  false,  can  only  be  ascertained  by  making  the 
experiment.     It  seems  at  least  worth  trying. 

But  again,  we  have  two  books  besides,  which  we  know  can  have 
no  other  author  than  God — the  book  of  Creation,  and  the  book  of 
Providence.  Do  these  contain  nothing  difficult  to  be  understood, 
nothing  that  we  cannot  easily  reconcile  with  our  ideas?  Rather— 
do  we  not  meet  with  obscurities,  not  to  say  apparent  contradictious, 
in  every  page? 

Is  not  the  book  of  Nature  incomprehensible  ?  How  unaccounta- 
ble to  our  ideas,  that  the  burying  of  a  dry,  diminutive  seed  should 
be  followed  by  its  resiu'rection  in  the  shape  of  a  lovely  flower,  or  a 
stately  tree  !  How  strange  that  one  day  should  behold  the  lifeless 
caterpillar  wrapped  in  a  winding-sheet  of  its  own  making,  and  the 
next  should  present  it  to  us  winged  with  life  and  beaut3\  the  gayest 
of  the  fluttering  creation  !  There  is  not  in  the  whole  book  of  Na- 
ture a  single  line  that  is  legible  to  us  from  beginning  to  end.  We 
can  read  enough  to  wonder  and  adore,  but  not  enough  to  under- 
stand. 

And  as  for  the  book  of  Providence,  are  not  its  contents  still  more 
dark  and  mysterious  ?  Does  it  not  contain  ten  thousand  articles, 
which  to  our  weak  judgment  appear  absolutely  inconsistent  and 
contradictory?  How  often  are  the  righteous  visited  with  one 
aflliction  after  another,  while  the  wicked  are  not  in  trouble  as  other 
men  !  '•  They  are  full  of  substance,  and  leave  the  rest  of  their 
treasure  to  their  babes;"  but  the  righteous  are  poor  and  oppressed. 
These  are  some  of  the  seeming  incongruities  of  the  book  of  Provi- 
dence. They  are  by  no  means  the  most  remarkable.  To  us  it 
often  appears  a  succession  of  paradoxes. 

If  now  a  third  book  be  offered  to  us,  even  the  Bible,  professing 
also  to  be  from  God;  shall  we  deny  that  it  is  genuine,  merely  be- 
cause it  is  marked  by  the  verT/  same  peculiarities  of  style,  which 
distinguished  the  other  works  of  the  same  Author?  Surely  this 
remarkable  coincidence  of  style  is  any  thing  rather  than  an  objec- 
tion  to  its  authenticity. 

When  you  object  to  the  Bible  on  the  ground  of  its  being  opposed 
to  your  reason ;  we  have  yet  another  cause  to  doubt,  whether 
reason  is  at  all  to  be  relied  on  in  the  matter.  For  if  you  look 
round  upon  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  and  observe  the  absurd 
degrading  notions  which  men  entertain  of  the  Deity,  you  will  per- 
ceive that  the  huinan  mind  is  little  capable  of  forming  sublime  or 
even  reas;)nable  notions  concerning  him.  As  you  too  profess  to  be 
guided  by  unassisted   reason,   you  can    scarcely  be  sure  that  your 


242  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

ideas  of  God  may  not  be  just  as  remote  from  the  truth  as  those  of 
the  ignorant  savage,  who  says  to  a  stone,  "  Thou  art  my  God." 
You  will  tell  me,  that  you  have  the  superior  advantages  of  an  en- 
hghtened  philosophy,  and  a  cultivated  intellect.  I  fear  this  argu- 
ment will  not  stand  you  in  much  slead.  For  what  were  those 
gods,  who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  enlightened  and  cultivated  nations 
of  Greece  and  Rome,  -'in  High  Olympus  ruled  the  middle  air?" 
They  were  a  set  of  mere  men.  loose  and  unprincipled  men  ;  with 
rather  more  than  human  power,  and  less  than  human  virtue, 
^rhese  enlightened  and  philosophical  nations  conceived  "  that  God 
was  altogether  such  an  one  as  themselves."  If  your  ideas  are 
more  rational  than  theirs,  it  is  not  because  you  are  naturally  better 
informed  than  they  were  ;  but  because  some  of  your  notions  have 
been  refined  from  the  grossness  of  their  sensuality  by  that  despised 
system  of  theology,  the  Bible.  Their  example  may  warn  you 
how  little  reason  can  avail  us  in  searching  after  the  Almighty. 
A  few  of  the  wisest  of  them  perceived  that  they  were  wrong,  but 
confessed  that  all  tiieir  philosophy  was  insufficient  to  find  out  what 
was  right.  With  these,  the  Maker  of  tlie  universe,  if  not  Jupiter  or 
Saturn,  was  still  '•  the  unknown  God."  Yet  they  had  the  same 
reason  to  guide  thein  ;  the  same  helps  (unless  you  will  acknowl- 
edge the  Bible  to  be  a  help),  thai  you  have  in  the  present  day. 
Can  you  tell  us  why  you  should  hope  to  succeed,  where  they  so 
egregiously  failed?  Reason,  in  the  case  of  every  nation  in  (he 
world,  has  proved  a  blind  guide  ;  can  you  tell  us  how  it  comes  to 
pass  that  she  should,  in  your  individual  case,  prove  so  wonderfully 
clear-sighted?  May  not  the  ideas  of  God  which  reason  has  taught 
you,  be  just  as  wide  of  the  truth  as  her  suggestions  to  the  Heathen 
nations,  whom  she  persuaded  to  "change  the  glory  of  the  incor- 
ruptible God  into  an  image  made  like  unto  corruptible  man,  and  to 
birds,  and  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping  things?"*  And  if  you 
cannot  be  sure  of  the  correctness  of  your  riotions,  is  it  safe  to  reject 
the  Bible,  merely  because  it  does  not  coincide  with  those  notions? 

Once  more;  if  you  repeat  that  you  cannot  believe  the  Bible, 
because  its  contents  appear  absurd,  if  not  contradictory  to  you  :  we 
reply,  that  this  is  no  more  than  the  Bible  itself  has  foretold. 
"The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ; 
for  they  me  foolishness  unto  him;  neither  can  he  know  them,  be- 
cause they  are  spiritually  discerned."!  Let  me  again  put  the  case 
home  to  your  own  experience.  Suppose  you  had  written  a  treatise 
on  some  particular  subject,  and  had  distinctly  and  repeatedly  de- 
clared, that  to  a  certain  description  of  readers,  destitute  of  a  certain 
degree  of  information,  your  book  nmst,  from  the  very  nature  of  the 
thing,  be  incomprehensible,  and  even  wear  an  appearance  of  glar- 
ing absurdity.  Would  you  not  think  yourself  unfairly  dealt  by,  if 
your  performance  were  to  fall  into  contempt,  because  those  very 
persons  whom  you  had  declared  incompetent  to  judge,  were  io 
assure  the  world  that  they  had  read  it,  and  found  it  both  obscure 
♦  See  Romans  i.  23.  t  See  Corinthians  it.  14. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

and  ridiculous?  But  let  us  further  suppose,  that  you  had  not 
only  forewarned  these  people  of  the  incapacity  they  labored  under, 
but  had  also  pointed  out  a  method,  by  which  they  might  acquire 
sufficient  knowledge  to  enter  into  the  meaning  of  your  work,  and  to 
estimate  it  at  its  real  value.  Would  you  not  accuse  them  of  tenfold 
disingenuousness  in  decrying  your  production  without  giving  them- 
selves the  trouble  of  examining  it  by  the  method  you  had  proposed  ? 

Is  not  this  disingenuous,  this  un philosophical  proceeding,  the 
very  counterpart  of  your  own  conduct  with  regard  to  that  book, 
upon  which,  for  any  thing  you  have  yet  proved  to  the  contrary,  your 
eternal  happiness  or  misery  may  depend  ?  The  Scriptures  offer 
themselves  to  j'ou  as  the  word  of  God.  They  assure  you  that  sin 
has  so  blinded  and  depraved  your  reason,  that  you  are  incapable  of 
affixing  a  just  meaning,  or  a  true  value,  to  their  sacred  contents, 
until  that  reason  is  informed  and  enlightened  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 
They  instruct  you  how  to  obtain  this  divine  illumination — "  Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you  " 

Now  let  us  observe  your  mode  of  proceeding.  You  set  about 
judging  the  Bible  by  that  very  faculty,  which  the  Bible  has  de- 
clared to  be  incapable  of  judging  correctly.  This  you  do,  in  the 
face  of  the  united  testimony  of  every  age  and  nation,  to  the  utter 
incapacity  of  reason,  as  a  guide  to  religion.  You  not  only  neglect, 
but  absolutely  despise  the  offer  which  the  Bible  makes  you  of  divine 
teachin<j- :  though  common  sense,  common  feeling,  and  experience 
concur  in  proclaiming  its  necessity.  And  then,  with  consummate 
assurance,  you  step  forward  and  inform  the  world  that  you  have 
fairly  examined  the  Bible,  and  proved  it  to  be  a  mere  cunningly- 
devised  fable.  Is  this  fair  and  open  .^  Is  it  just  and  reasonable? 
Is  it  wise  and  judicious  ? 

It  appears,  then,  from  the  vast  difference  which  must  be  supposed 
to  exist  between  our  minds  and  the  mind  of  God  ;  from  the  anal- 
oo-ies  that  we  may  gather  from  His  Creation  and  Providence; 
from  the  confusion  and  ignorance  of  the  whole  world  respecting 
him  ;  and  from  the  account  which  the  Bible  gives  of  its  own  nature 
and  purpose  ;  that  the  unassisted  reason  is  not  capable  of  deciding 
upon  its  truth  or  falsehood.  The  criterion  is  absolutely  unfair  and 
inapplicable ;  ahke  condemned  by  common  sense  and  common 
honesty.  A  deaf  man  is  no  very  accurate  judge  of  sounds  ;  nor  is 
a  l)lind  man  adapted  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of  a  picture.  Even 
so  is  human  reason  utterly  incapable  of  discerning  the  beauty  and 
glory  of  the  sacred  page,  until  the  same  Almighty  Power  which 
created  that  reason,  is  pleased  to  shine  into  and  enlighten  it.  Now, 
if  there  is  the  smallest  hope  that  so  great  a  blessing  may  be  had 
for  the  asking,  what  perverseness  will  it  argue  on  our  parts,  to 
decline  making  the  attempt! 

That  1  may  preclude  every  possibility  of  misapprehension,  let 
me  add  a  very  few  words  as  to  the  nature  of  this  asking  or  prayer, 
and  the  answer  which  may  be  expected  to  it. 

And  first,  as  to  the  nature  of  prayer.     I  need  hardly  tell  you 


244  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

that  it  must  be  sincere.  No  promise  is  made  to  the  mere  asking 
of  the  hp3.  You  may  thus  ask  wisdom  of  God,  and  when  he 
makes  you  no  answer,  you  may  triumphantly  declare  that  the 
Scripture  promise  is  broken.  This  may  pass  current  with  your 
fellow-men.  But  it  will  neither  deceive  yourself  nor  God.  Con- 
science will  bear  witness  that  you  have  not  really  prayed.  The 
Searcher  of  hearts  is  insulted  by  such  lip  petitions.  To  grant 
them,  would  be  to  part  with  his  Omniscience. 

Nor  is  it  enough  that  the  desire  after  knowledge  be  sincere.  It 
must  also  be  fervent.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  the  one 
without  the  other.  For  if  we  desire  a  thing  in  proportion  lo  its 
value,  then,  by  how  much  the  knowledge  of  God  is  better  than 
any  earthly  knowledge,  by  so  much  ought  the  fervency  with  which 
we  long  for  it,  to  exceed  the  fervency  of  our  desires  after  any 
earthly  object.  The  soul  that  is  really  thirsting  after  her  Maker, 
her  God,  the  proper  centre  of  her  desires  and  hopes,  will  thirst  after 
him  with  a  degree  of  ardor  and  fixedness,  of  which  no  earthly 
longing  can  convey  an  adequate  idea.  The  hungry  man  fainting 
for  want  of  food;  the  thirsty  traveller  languishing  for  water;  these 
are  but  poor  and  inexpressive  emblems  of  the  soul  that  is  hunger- 
ing and  thirsting  after  God.  To  desire  God  coldly,  and  other  objects 
with  eagerness,  is  such  an  inversion  of  the  right  order  of  things  ; 
it  is  so  immensely  to  undervalue  the  only  things  which  cannot  be 
prized  too  highly,  that  we  can  hardly,  without  arrogance,  expect 
that  God  will  condescend  to  such  faint  desires,  or  fulfil  such  luke- 
warm petitions.  I  believe  that  the  faintest  wish,  if  sincere,  will 
not  pass  unnoticed  by  Him  who  "  despisetli  not  the  day  of  small 
things."  liut  if  our  longings  after  such  an  unspeakable  good  be 
not  intensely  excited,  we  have  every  reason  to  cjuestion  their  sin- 
cerity. To  desire  God  without  intenseness,  seems  more  inconsistent 
than  not  to  desire  him  at  all.  We  may  desire  a  trifle  faintly  :  for 
our  wish  is  in  proportion  to  its  value.  But  to  desire  the  living 
God ;  the  Original  of  all  wisdom,  excellency,  beauty,  glory  and 
felicity ;  and  yet  not  to  burn  with  uncontrollable  longings  of  the 
soul  after  Him  ;  this  is  an  anomaly,  which  can  only  be  met  with 
in  a  guilty  and  fallen  world  :  and  it  proves  at  how  low  a  rate  the 
very  best  and  wisest  of  mankind  do  value  God.  The  Spirit  of 
God  must  both  excite  and  satisfy  this  longing.  The  more  we  ask, 
the  more  we  shall  desire,  and  the  more  we  shall  be  satisfied. 

I  conceive  then  that  this  asking  implies  sincere  and  fervent  de- 
.■sire.  It  is  the  asking  of  the  heart,  and  to  such  only  is  the  promise 
made.  '■Then  shall  ye  seek  me  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search 
for  me  with  all  your  lieartP* 

SuflTer  me  now  to  direct  your  attention  for  a  moment  to  the  an- 
swer, which  may  be  expected  from  such  asking  as  I  have  described. 
On  this  head  I  have  two  brief  cautions  to  offer  to  you. 

1.  You  have  a  right  to  expect  a  convincing  answer  to  youi 
|)rayer9  ;  but  you  have  no  reason  to  expect  that  it  will  be  miracu- 

*  Jer.  xxix.  13. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 


245 


lous.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  God  cannot,  if  he  please,  convince 
you  by  a  miracle.  This,  however,  is  not  his  ordinary  method  of 
deaUng  with  his  creatures.  He  who  once  brought  light  out  of 
darkness  with  the  word—"  Let  there  be  light"— now  sends  forth 
"  the  sun  every  morning  like  a  bridegroom  out  of  his  chamber,"t 
and  he  gives  light  to  all  the  world  in  the  ordinary  course  of  nature. 
So  He,  who  caused  the  first  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  to 
shine  miraculously  upon  mankind,  now  illuminates  the  hearts  of 
men  by  the  ordinary  process  of  inward  rational  conviction.  It  is 
fitting  that  it  should'be  so.  We  are  reasonable  creatures;  and  our 
understandings  must  be  convinced,  ere  our  hearts  can  be  con- 
verted. No  outward  miracle  can  effect  this  ;  but  only  the  inward 
miracle  of  opening  the  heart  to  atlend,  and  the  mind  to  under- 
stand;  of  dispelling  the  dark  mists  of  ignorance,  prejudice,  and 
error,  that  benight,  the  soul;  and  above  all,  of  eradicating  that  en- 
mity to  God,  whicli  is  the  secret  and  bitter  root  of  all  unbelief.  Per- 
haps what  1  am  now  saying  seems  strange  and  mysterious  to  you. 
I  will  enter  no  further  into  the  subject.  Only  try  the  experiment 
I  have  proposed  to  you,  and  you  will  understand  all  this,  and  much 
more. 

I  would,  in  the  second  place,  caution  you  not  to  expect  an  im- 
mediate answer  to  your  prayers.  Here  again,  we  may  gather,  from 
the  analogy  of  God's  dealings  with  us  in  temporal  things,  some 
idea  of  what  we  are  to  expect  from  him  in  spiritual  things.  Every 
process  in  the  works  of  Nature,  and  in  the  development  of  mind, 
is  carried  on  by  slow  and  sometimes  imperceptible  degrees.  We 
sow  our  seed  ;  but  we  must  wait  with  patience,  till  His  sun  and 
His  rain  have  brought  it  to  perfection.  Yet  we  do  not  the  less 
confidently  expect  an  abundant  crop,  because  we  know  that  it  will 
not  spring  up  in  a  single  night.  Again,  in  acquiring  any  of  the 
arts  and  sciences,  how  many  tedious  processes  we  have  to  pass 
through.  Yet  we  are  not  so  foolish  as  to  throw  them  aside  in  de- 
spair, because  we  cannot  master  them  in  a  few  hours.  And  rea- 
soning from  analogy,  we  have  no  ground  to  expect  that  the  knowl- 
edge of  God  will  be  the  growth  of  an  hour ;  or  that  so  mighty  a 
blessing  will  be  showered  down  at  the  very  first  request  we  deign  to 
offer.  Consider,  I  beseech  you,  how  long  God  has  been  waiting 
upon  you  with  this  invitation.  Wonder  not  if  he  keep  you  waiting 
for  a  time  in  your  turn.  But  this  will  be  as  He  pleases.  I  only 
mention  it,  lest  any  who  have  really  begun  to  pray  should  feel 
discouraged  at  perceiving  no  immediate  benefit  from  their  prayers. 
God  has  nowhere  promised  to  answer  us  so  suddenly.  But  He 
will  not  keep  us  waiting  without  bestowing  on  us  so  much  light 
and  strength  as  will  encourage  us  to  persevere.  "O  tarry  then 
the  Lord's  leisure;  be  strong,  and  he  shall  comfort  thine  heart; 
wait,  I  say,  on  the  Lord."t 

I  close  this  part  of  my  subject,  with  the  advice  of  the  prophet — 
"  Halt  no  longer  between   two   opinions."     If  the  Jehovah  of  the 

♦  See  Psalm  xix.  4,  5.  t  Ibid  xxvii.  14. 


246  THE    TEST    OF   TRUTH. 

Scriptures  be  God,  serve  Him  ;  but  if  the  God  whom  Deists  have 
fancied  to  themselves  be  God,  then  serve  him.  I  have  pointed  out 
to  you  a  way  of  deciding  the  question.  Bring  the  Scriptures  to  the 
touchstone  of  truth.  "  The  God  who  answers  prayer,  let 
Him  be  God."* 

"  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you."  Ask  sincerely ,  fervently ,  per- 
severmgly.  If  you  thus  ask,  and  receive  not — I  consent  thai  you 
shall  renounce  the  Bible  forever.  If  you  ask  and  receive,  ihen  will 
the  Bible  become  your  cherished  guide,  the  very  joy  and  rejoicing 
of  your  heart.  Then  will  you  bless  the  day  that  led  you  to  the 
"  Test  of  Truth." 

*  1  Kings  xviil  22—24. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH 


PART   II. 

ASK,    AND    IT    SHALL    BE    GIVEN    YOU. Lukc  xi.  9. 

I  CANNOT  behold  a  person  who  doubts  or  disbeheves  the  truth 
of  Christianit}^,  without  feehng  drawn  towards  that  person  with  a 
lender  interest,  as  if  he  were  my  brother  or  dear  friend.  My  heart 
is  hniced  to  liis  by  an  irresistible  sympathy.  Should  this  appear 
mysterious,  I  can  easily  explain  the  mystery.  I  have  been  in  the 
same  situation  myself.  I  "know  the  heart"  of  an  unbeliever ;  his 
doubts,  his  objections,  his  disgusts,  have  all  passed  through  my 
own  mind.  I  enter  into  every  particular  of  his  feelings.  If  he  is 
a  sincere  doubter — I  mean,  if  he  really  desires  tofuid  out  the  truth. 
I  can  comprehend  all  the  agony  of  suspense,  the  horror  of  ap- 
proaching eternity  in  the  dark,  which  he  now  experiences,  and 
which  none  but  those  who  have  felt  can  figure  to  themselves,  even 
in  idea.  But  my  sympathy  with  such  a  doubter  is  also  one  of  glad 
anticipation.  I  enter  into  his  future  feehngs,  and  rejoice  in  the 
light  and  peace  which  are  certainly  prepared  for  him,  though  now 
they  are  hid  from  his  eyes.  I  know  that  "  an  understanding  shall 
one  day  be  given  him,  that  he  may  know  him  that  is  true."  "  If 
any  man  wishes  to  do  the  will  of  Go:l,  he  shall  knoio  of  the  doc- 
trine, whether  it  be  true  or  whether  Jesus  Christ  spake  of  himself."* 
Of  this  1  am  assured,  both  because  it  is  God's  promise,  and  because 
He  has  fulfilled  that  promise  to  me.  "  He  has  brought  me  out  of 
the  horrible  abyss  of  doubt  and  unbelief,  and  set  my  foot  upon  a 
rock,  and  established  my  goings."  And  O  that  while  I  endeavor 
to  speak  of  His  goodness  towards  me,  "  many  may  see  it,  and  fear, 
and  put  their  trust  in  the  Lord  !"t 

I  thank  my  God  that  I  have  been  permitted,  by  bitter  experience, 
to  enter  into  this  growing  calamity  of  my  fellow-men.  Not  only 
have  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  been  stamped  upon  my  soul  \yith 
a  certainty  greatly  enhanced  by  the  strict  and  suspicious  scrutiny, 
to  which  they  have  every  one  been  subjected,  but  an  intenseness  is 
added  to  my  prayers,  and  a  liveliness  to  my  hopes,  for  this  class  of 
wanderers  from  God,  which  nothing  but  a  fellowship  in  sin  and 
*  John  vii.  17.  +  See  Psalm  xl.  1—3. 


248  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

suffering  could  have  produced.  I  can  spread  their  miserable  case 
before  the  Lord,  with  the  happy  conviction,  that  the  same  power 
which  was  displayed  on  my  behalf,  is  ready  to  be  stretched  out  on 
theirs.  And  when  unbelief  whispers— Ca?i  these  men  be  brought 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  /  my  very  soul  burns  within  me,  as 
I  appeal  to  my  own  experience,  that  nothing  is  too  hard  for  the 
Lord.  May  the  Lord  my  God  guide  my  heart  and  my  pen,  whilst 
I  attempt  to  delineate  tlie  process  by  which  "  he  called  me  out  of 
darkness  into  his  marvellous  light !" 

My  chief  aim  is  to  demonstrate  the  success  which  will  invariably 
follow  a  sincere  and  candid  application  of  the  "  Test  of  Truth." 
If  I  can  persuade  others  to  try  the  same  method,  I  shall  have  gain- 
ed my  point.  I  seek  not  to  answer  objections.  They  are  innume- 
rable as  are  the  turnings  and  windings  of  the  human  heart.  Even 
with  those  who  are  sincere  in  their  search  after  truth,  the  most 
trivial  of  these  objections,  though  confuted  again  and  again,  will 
present  itself  with  renewed  difficulty.  The  source  of  doubts  and 
objections  must  be  dried  up.  The  "evil  heart  of  unbelief"  must 
be  removed.  He  who  will  make  trial  of  the  "  Test  of  Truth"'  shall 
have  a  teady  answer  to  all  objections.  He  shall  know  by  his  own 
experience  that  every  word  of  the  Biljle  is  true. 

To  you,  doubters  and  unbelievers  of  every  description,  I  address 
myself.  Many  of  you  will  esteem  me  a  fool  for  my  pains.  I  am 
content  that  you  should  think  thus  of  me,  so  long  as  the  wisdom  of 
God  is  foolishness  in  your  eyes.  But  God  often  "chooses  the  foolish 
things  of  this  world  to  confound  the  wise."  This  emboldens  me 
to  hope,  that,  if  you  will  give  me  a  candid  and  patient  hearing,  I 
may,  with  his  blessing,  be  able  to  suggest  some  reflections  which 
may  prove  useful  to  you.  As  God  has  opened  ni}''  understanding, 
so  I  believe  that  he  is  able  and  willing  to  open  yours.  If  once  he 
shines  into  your  hearts,  how  will  unbelief,  and  pride,  and  prejudice, 
give  way  before  the  brightness  of  his  presence  !  How  joy.fully  will 
you  submit  to  those  deep  counsels  of  God,  which  you  now  cast  from 
you  with  scorn  !  I  did  not  learn  them  of  myself,  neither  can  you. 
"  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  reveal  them  unto  you  ;"  but  my  Father 
and  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  both  can  and  will,  if  you  de- 
sire it  of  him.  I  look  with  confidence  on  your  behalf  to  Him, 
whose  office  it  is  to  '•  lead  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  knew  not ; 
to  make  darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked  paths  straight."* 

From  a  very  early  age,  my  mind  had  been  deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  religion.  I  knew  something,  not 
only  of  the  form,  but,  as  I  thought,  of  the  spirit  of  prayer.  With 
a  very  indistinct  view  of  many  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  I 
aimed  to  do  all  my  duties  in  sincerity,  and  without  any  consider- 
al)le  external  declension  during  the  greater  part  of  my  childhood, 
and  the  commencement  of  a  riper  age. 

Nor  can  I  now  speak  decidedly  as  to  the  time  or  manner,  in 
which   a  kind  of  careless  stupidity  about  every  thing  connected 

♦  Isaiah  xlii.  IG. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  249 

with  religion  began  to  steal  over  my  soul.  When  this  first  became 
perceptible,  it  occasioned  itie  great  uiieasines.^.  But  I  soon  forgot 
it  in  tlie  studies  and  vanities  incident  to  my  age.  Ere  long,  I  had 
learned  to  Hve  "  without  God  in  the  world," — to  shut  him  out  of 
all  mv  thoughts.  Pride  and  self-love,  which  had,  I  doubt  not,  long 
been  secretly  cherished,  now  became  the  motives— ihe  allowed  and 
cherished  motives— of  all  my  actions.  My  former  feelings  were 
at  first  remembered  as  an  indistinct  dream,  then  erased  from  my 
memory.  It  may  appear  strange,  that  one  who  liad  ever  tasted 
in  any  degree  of  the  power  of  religion,  could  so  soon  cast  off  its  in- 
fluence :  for  all  this  was  eflfected  in  the  space  of  a  few  months.  It 
is  strange  ;  and  it  affords  a  proof  of  the  strange  depravity  of  the 
human  "heart,  when  left  to  its  own  workings.  Yet  as  this  book 
may  come  under  the  eye  of  some  who  have  fallen  in  the  same 
manner,  I  will,  for  their  sakes,  endeavor  briefly  to  trace  the  origin 
of  my  declension.  Siinilar  causes  may  have  operated  in  producing 
theirs. 

I  think  that  I  had  no  sufficient  view  of  the  nature  and  univer- 
sality of  sin.  The  sin  of  particular  actions  and  thoughts  would 
often  affect  me  very  deeply.  But  I  had  little  idea  of  the  general 
sinfulness  of  my  nature,  and  of  my  own  utter  helplessness  ;  or  at 
least  that  idea  liad  some  time  been  growing  very  indistinct.  In 
consequence,  I  set  my  guard,  as  it  were,  against  this  or  that  par- 
ticular sin,  instead  of  taking  the  whole  body  of  sin  to  God  to  be  sub- 
dued and  destroyed.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  other  young 
persons  besides  myself,  have  derived  injury  from  some  pans  of  a 
work,  which  has,  on  the  whole,  been  eminently  useful ;  I  mean 
Doddridge's  "Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  in  the  Soul."  I  had 
read  in  that  work,  long  before  the;  period  of  my  thorough  declen- 
sion, an  earnest  recommen  lation  to  the  young  convert  to  enter  into 
a  solemn  covenant  with  God  by  a  written  form  or  dedication.  I 
drew  up  an  instrument  of  this  kind,  and  fancied  1  had  bound  my- 
self to  God's  service  in  such  a  way  that  I  could  now  never  forsake 
him.  But  when  I  found  myself  daily  coming  short  of  the  resolu- 
tions T  had  made,  I  began  to  be  filled  with  a  kind  of  slavish  dread 
of  God.  I  could  no  longer  come  before  him  as  his  child.  I  felt  as 
if  I  had,  by  breaking  my  own  voluntary  covenant,  dissolved  or  weak- 
ened the  bond  which  united  me  to  him.  Again  and  again  I  sought 
his  presence,  and  with  tears  renewed  my  engagements  ;  but  every 
renewal  of  this  formal  dedication  was  made  under  circumstances 
of  fresh  discouragements,  and  with  diminished  confidence  in  the 
strength  of  Christ  to  carry  me  through  the  performance  of  it. 
Thus  I  gradually  declined  from  the  law  of  liberty  into  the  spirit  of 
!)ondage  and  fear.  I  believe  that  these  ineffectual  struggles  paved 
ihe  way  for  my  apparently  sudden  and  lamentable  dereliction. 
Whenever  self-dependence  creeps  in.  there  is  reason  to  expect  that 
we  shall  be  left  to  discover,  that  self  is  a  broken  reed,  which  can 
but  pierce  and  betray  the  hand  that  tru=ts  to  it  for  support. 

But  I  purposely  ha-ten  over  this  period,  the  mention  of  which 


2!50  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

was  necessary  to  throw  some  light  over  the  future  part  of  my  nar- 
rative. The  state  of  things  I  have  described,  could  not  last  long. 
I  became  dissatisfied  willi  the  pleasures  and  pursuits  in  which  I 
had  promised  myself  so  much  gratification,  and  began  again  to 
wish  to  turn  to  religion  for  comfort.  But  alas  !  I  had  no  longer  a 
religion.  I  had  refused  to  give  glory  unto  the  Lord  my  Gad  ; 
now  "  my  feet"  were  left  to  "stumble  upon  the  dark  mountains;" 
I  had  forsaken  the  Rock  of  my  Strength.  I  was  now  to  try  the 
firmness  of  my  own  sandy  foundation. 

The  doctrine  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  had  before  been  occasion- 
ally a  source  of  doubt  and  perplexity  to  me.  It  now  became  odious 
to  my  proud  heart,  and  utterly  shocking  to  my  carnal  reason.  To 
satisfy  myself  on  this  point,  I  examined  the  Bible  again  and  again. 
The  result  was  an  entire  conviction,  thai  if  there  were  any  truth  in 
the  Bible,  Jesus  Christ  was  the  self-existent  .Tehovah.  But  so 
great  was  the  difficulty  I  had  in  consenting  to  this  doctrince,  that 
I  immediately  began  to  doubt  whether  there  were  any  truth  in.  the 
Bible.  I  suspected  that  a  system  of  religion  which  involved  such 
apparent  absurdities,  could  not  possibly  come  from  God.  Deter- 
mined to  sift  the  matter  to  the  utmost,  I  eagerly  acquainted  my- 
self with  the  arguments  for  and  against  Christianity.  M.^  imder- 
standing  was  convinced  that  the  Scriptures  were  Divine.  But 
my  heart  refused  to  receive  the  conviction.  I  was  unvnUing  to 
believe.  The  more  my  reason  was  compelled  to  assent  to  their 
truths,  the  more  I  secretly  disliked  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible. 

At  length  1  resolved  for  the  present  to  lay  aside  the  subject  alto- 
gether. I  persuaded  myself,  that  there  must  be  many  flaws  in  the 
evidence  for  so  strange  a  history,  and  that,  if  I  had  not  as  yet 
penetration  to  discover  those  flaws,  it  was  only  on  account  of  my 
youth,  and  the  immaturity  of  my  reasoning  powers.  It  may  be 
thought  that  my  former  religious  sentiments  would  leave  behind 
them  a  relish  and  inclination  for  the  tenets  of  Christianity.  On 
the  contrary,  they  seem  to  form  a  great,  an  insuperable  obstacle. 
It  is  evident,  thought  I,  that  I  have  hitherto  been  living  under  the 
unresisted  dominion  of  prejudice.  These  opinions  were  imbibed 
before  I  could  possibly  form  any  judgment  upon  their  truth  or 
falsehood.  I  have  ever  since  bliiidly  submitted  to  their  guidance; 
endeavoring  to  feel  or  to  fancy  all  that  the  advocates  of  enthusiasm 
told  me  I  ought  to  feel.  I  must  guard  against  this  bias,  which 
my  early  associations  have  induced,  from  the  very  same  cause 
I  should  probably  in  another  country  have  stood  forth  the  zealous 
worshipper  of  Brahma,  or  the  furious  disciple  of  Mohammed.  Thus 
I  reason  with  myself.  Alas  !  I  knew  not  then,  that  the  secret,  yet 
determined  bias  of  my  heart  was  against  Christianity.  1  had  for- 
gotten that  "  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God." 

I  looked  then  upon  my  former  devotion  as  the  dream  of  an  idle 
superstition.  This  circumstance  was  perpetually  recurring  to  my 
memory,  and  redoubled  my  suspicions  of  the  creed  in  which  I  had 
been  brought  up;  so  that,  humanly  speaking,  there  was  no  sys- 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  251 

tem  of  religion,  which  had  so  little  hope  of  a  candid  examination 
from  me  as  the  Bible.  I  will  not  at  least  be  the  slave  of  prejudice. 
I  will  not  wear  these  trammels  merely  because  they  were  imposed 
upon  me  in  my  childiiood.     I  will  think  and  examine  for  myself. 

The  following  considerations  restrained  me  from  communicating 
my  perplexity  to  a  single  being.  In  the  first  place,  I  thought  that 
to  whomsoever  I  might  open  my  mind  on  the  subject,  they  would 
not  fail  to  endeavor  to  bias  me  one  way  or  the  other.  In  the  next, 
as  I  was  not  quite  sure  that  the  Scriptures  were  false,  I  feared  to  be 
the  means  of  raising  or  confirming  doubts  in  the  minds  of  any  other 
person,  lest  I  should  ultimately  discover  that  I  had  been  fighting 
against  God.  I  therefore  resolved  to  keep  my  own  counsel ;  to  ex- 
hibit, for  the  present,  no  outward  difierence  of  conduct :  only  avoid- 
ing, as  much  as  possible,  the  discussion  of  religious  subjects.  In 
the  meantime  I  determined  to  devote  myself  to  those  studies,  which 
tend  most  eminently  to  invigorate  the  reasoning  facultie-:,  and  give 
to  the  mind  a  habit  of  sound  thinking  and  correct  judgment.  Thus 
I  hoped  some  future  day  to  rencvv'  the  examination,  take  a  clearer 
view  of  things,  and  elfectually  guard  against  being  made  the  dupe 
of  a  "  cunningly-devised  fable."  Vain  and  presumptous  fool  !  I 
had  yet  to  learn  that,  "  the  wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolishness  with 
God;"  and  that  man  cannot,  by  "  his  own  unassisted  searching, 
find  out  the  Almighty  to  perfection."*  Yet,  even  in  this  circum- 
stance, I  would  gratefully  recognize  the  wisdom  and  goodness  that 
have  followed  me  all  my  life  long;  for  though  my  studies  were 
now  but  an  additional  snare  to  me,  yet  they  afterward,  under  God's 
blessing,  were  of  considerable  use  to  me  in  my  researches  after 
truth  :  or  rather  in  enabling  me  to  detect  the  fallacies  which  had 
misled  me.  But,  at  present,  1  was  trusting  in  them  ;  and  how 
could  they  be  otherwise  than  a  curae  to  me  ? 

These  abstruse  pursuits  had  an  etfect  on  my  mind  which  I  had 
not  anticipated  ;  but  which,  at  the  time,  occasioned  me  little  regret. 
I  began  to  delight  in  them  so  much  for  their  own  sake,  that  they 
withdrew  my  mind  altogether  from  the  grand  subject  of  my  inquiry. 
Instead  of  using  them  as  a  preparative  for  future  examination,  I 
fled  to  them  as  a  refuge  from  the  busy  speculations  which  had  so 
long  tormented  me.  I  buried  thouiiht  in  them,  as  the  drunkard 
buries  it  in  his  cups  :  not  that  I  could,  at  all  times,  shut  out  serious 
reflection.  These  fits  of  mental  intoxication  had  their  intervals ; 
and  bitter  intervals  they  were.  But  I  pacified  conscience  with  the 
plea,  that  I  was  only  laying  aside  inquiry  to  resume  it  under  more 
favorable  circumstances.  When  I  should  deem  myself  fit  for  the 
momentous  scrutiny,  was  a  point  reserved  for  decision  at  some  in- 
definite period.  On  one  or  two  occasions,  I  experienced  a  return  of 
religious  feeling  ;  and  felt  inclined  to  submit,  though  with  the  tem- 
per of  a  slave  rather  than  of  a  child,  to  the  yoke  of  the  Gospel. 
But  at  these  times,  a  temporary  dread  of  consequences,  or  that  un- 
definable  softness  of  mind  which  affliction  induces,  operated  much 
*  See  1  Cor.  iii.  19.     Job.  xi.  7. 


252  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

more  than  any  heart-felt  conviction  of  the  truth.  I  sought  to  ap- 
pease conscience  by  doing  many  things.  I  was  busy,  but  not  devo- 
tional :  and  my  fit  of  ill-judged  zeal  soon  evaporated. 

With  the  exception  of  these  transient  interruptions,  I  continued 
this  course  for  many  months  ;  but  at  length  God  in  mercy  anesled 
ray  downward  progress  :  and  the  reflections  of  a  few  hours  pro- 
duced a  total  revolution  in  my  views  and  desires,  though  1  was  yet 
to  wait  a  long  time  ere  I  arrived  at  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  I 
had  been  looking  out  on  the  starry  heavens  ;  and  from  the  consid- 
eration of  these  wondrous  luminaries,  was  naturally  led  to  reflect 
on  the  immense  stretch  of  intellect,  by  which  man  has  been  ena- 
bled to  make  them  the  objects  of  his  knowledge ;  to  measure  the 
distances,  the  orbits,  the  circumferences  of  the  planets  ;  to  trace  the 
eccentric  path  of  the  comet,  and  foretell  the  period  of  its  return. 
In  an  instant — with  the  rapidity,  but  not  with  the  transientness,  of 
the  lightning's  flash — the  thought  broke  in  upon  me — "  What  sig- 
nifies the  knowledge  of  all  these  things,  so  long  as  man  knows 
not  God  vlio  made  him  .'" 

I  had  never  sunk  so  low  in  the  scale  of  being,  as  to  entertain  a 
suspicion  that  I  could  exist  without  some  great  Intelligent  Cause 
and  supporter  of  my  existence ;  and  yet  the  conviction  that  there 
was  a  God,  now  seemed  to  flash  upon  me  for  the  first  time.  It 
was  as  though  I  had  gotten  a  new  idea,  and  a  new  sense  to  per- 
ceive it  by  ;  and  this  idea  was  so  tremendously  awful  and  important 
that  it  well  nigh  overwhelmed  me.  The  amazing  folly  and  brutish 
stupidity  of  mankind,  and  of  myself  in  particular,  in  taking  pains  to 
acquaint  ourselves  with  the  works  of  God,  and  yet  crawling  on  in 
contented  ignorance  of  God  himself,  appeared  so  utterly  shocking  to 
common  sense  and  common  decency,  that  I  could  scarcely  believe  my 
own  existence  in  such  a  world,  and  amongst  such  a  race  of  fellow- 
madmen,  to  be  any  thing  more  than  a  frightful  dream.  At  first,  I 
could  only  behold  the  folly,  narrowness,  and  meanness  of  my  conduct. 
To  have  loved  and  sought  what  is  beautiful  in  the  creature,  and 
yet  not  to  have  cared  to  be  acquainted  with  the  Original,  the  Foun- 
tain-head of  beauty — the  Mind,  from  whence  every  form  of  loveli- 
ness emanated,  and  which  must  itself  be  the  perfection  of  beauty  : 
to  have  admired  the  grand  and  sublime,  without  casting  a  thought 
upon  Him  whose  mind  is  the  birthplace  of  sublimity  and  gran- 
deur:  to  have  dwelt  with  rapture  on  the  wisdom  of  my  fellow- 
creatures,  without  seeking  to  know  him  who  gave  them  this  gene- 
ral wisdom,  as  a  little  drop  out  of  the  infinite  ocean :  to  have  ex- 
amined and  pored  upon  the  workings  of  my  own  intellect,  without 
inquiring  after  the  Father  of  intellects — "  the  God  of  the  spirits  of 
all  flesh  :"  and  to  have  admired  the  exquisite  formation  of  the  body 
without  asking  by  whom  it  was  "so  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made:*'  to  have  forgotten  the  Giver  in  his  gifts — the  Creator  in  a 
minute  portion  of  his  works :  to  have  embraced  the  shadow,  and 
rejected  ihe  substance:  idolized  the  copy,  and  despised  the  origi- 
nal ;  provided  for  time,  and  neglected  eternity  !— Could  a  creature 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  253 

SO  grovelling,  so  alive  to  all  that  is  petty  and  mean,  and  so  wrapped 
in  a  dull  and  senseless  indifference  to  all  that  is  great  and  worthy — 
could  this  creature  be  styled  a  rational,  a  thinking  being?  And 
was  this  tnan,  in  whose  exalted  intelligence  I  had  but  now  been 
glorifying  ?  Oh,  far  more  gross  than  the  brutes  which  perish  !  For 
the  "  very  ox  knoweth  his  owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib  ;" 
but  man  hath  an  owner — a  master — a  Creator ;  and  he  knows 
nothing  about  Him  !  and  he  is  content  to  know  notliing  about  Him  ! 
If  the  works  of  creation  be  so  beautiful  and  glorious,  how  surpass- 
ing in  beauty  and  glory  must  be  the  God  of  creation  !  The  mind 
which  created  my  mind,  and  myriads  of  other  minds — and  which, 
still  unexhausted,  is  ready  to  produce  myriads  more — is  this  mind 
worth  knowing  ?  or  is  it  not  worth  knowing  ?  or  rather,  who  but  an 
idiot  would  care  greatly  about  knowing  any  thing  else  ?  How  low, 
how  impertinent,  how  wide  of  the  purposes,  are  the  pretended  dis- 
sertations of  men  upon  truth,  and  wisdom,  and  knowledge  ?  Why 
do  they  not  seek  truth  and  wisdom  and  knowledge  in  Him  in 
whom  they  all  centre  7  Why  seek  them  in  the  little  streamlets  of 
the  world,  when  they  might  go  to  the  Ocean,  the  Fountain,  the 
Original?  Do  xx\en  know  ihdil  there  is  a  God  /  Have  they  the 
slightest  suspicion  of  the  fact?  Can  they  know,  and  not  care? 
Can  they  suspect,  and  not  lay  all  things  aside  till  they  have  ascer- 
tained? Can  they  think  or  talk  of  any  thing  else,  so  long  as  this 
point  remains  undecided  ? 

But  what  have  I  myself  been  about  all  this  time?  How  is  it 
that  I  am  but  now  beginning  to  ask — "  Where  is  God  my  Maker?" 
I  feel  my  want  of  God  as  though  it  were  a  new  thing ;  as  though 
I  might  not  have  known  all  along,  that  this  was  the  great,  the  only 
want  of  a  rational  creature.  It  seems  as  if  a  thick  mist  had  passed 
from  before  my  eyes  ;  as  if,  after  a  long  and  dreadful  madness,  T 
were  just  restored  to  sanity.  And  surely  it  must  be  thus.  I  have 
been  laboring  under  a  madness,  a  delusion  :  now  I  am  awakened 
to  a  perception  of  the  object  of  my  existence.  God  is  the  object  of 
my  existence.  There  is  nothing  worth  knowing,  there  is  nothing 
worth  caring  for,  but  God.     O  that  1  knew  how  to  find  out  God  ! 

But  while  1  was  thus  looking  back  with  amazement  at  the  folly 
of  my  conduct,  another  and  a  more  appalling  reflection  came  to  deep- 
en my  perplexity.  This  was  the  wickedness  of  my  conduct.  My 
unnatural  and  monstrous  ingratitude  stared  me  in  the  face.  If 
there  be  a  God,  then  to  endeavor  to  know  and  love  and  obey  Him, 
must  be  not  only  the  happiness,  but  the  indispensable  duty,  of  his 
creature.  The  ties  of  blood,  the  dearest  relations  and  amities  of 
life,  must  be  a  mere  cobweb  thread  compared  with  the  ties  which 
ought  to  bind  the  soul  formed,  to  Him  who  formed  it— the  relation- 
ship which  must  be  naturally  supposed  to  exist  between  the  crea- 
ted, and  the  Creating  Spirit.  Have  I  not  done  my  utmost  to  sever 
those  ties?  Have  I  loved  God  ?  Alas!  how  could  I  love  an  un- 
known being  ?  But  have  I  tried  to  know  Him  ?  What  were  my 
former  endeavors?     Let  me  not  mock  God  by  calling  them  endea- 


254 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 


vors.  They  deserve  not  to  be  once  named  as  the  act  of  a  soul  as- 
piring after  its  God.  My  hfe  should  have  been  one  continued  act 
of  obedience  and  thankfulness;  but  I  have  scarcely  thought  of 
inquiring  into  his  commands,  or  of  reflecting  upon  his  mercies. 
The  true  object,  and  motive,  and  centre  of  my  soul  must  certainly 
be  the  love  of  my  Creator.  But  I  have  in  some  way  or  other  lost, 
sight  of  this,  and  found  out  for  myself  an  object,  a  motive,  a  cen- 
tre, altogether  sordid  and  abominable,  and  this  is  no  other  than  the 
love  of  self  If  I  have  never  broken  out  into  any  open  wicked- 
ness; if  I  have  kept  up  a  tolerably  correct  and  amiable  appearance 
to  my  friends,  it  has  been  solely  owing  (at  least  for  many  months 
past,)  to  a  sense  of  shame,  or  an  inordinate  self-esteem.  This 
taught  me  to  put  on  a  fair  and  decent  outside  ;  but  within  all  was 
hoUowness.  The  inward  abominations  of  my  heart  have  been 
indulged  without  a  scruple.  I  have  drank  up  Aear^iniquity  like 
water.  If  I  have  hitherto  escaped  the  reproaches  of  an  accusing 
conscience,  it  has  been  because  this  same  principle  of  self,  while  it 
rendered  me  exceedingly  sharp-sighted  to  the  defects  of  others, 
blinded  me  to  my  own. 

I  now  clearly  perceived  two  things;  that  sin  was  the  cause  of  all 
the  misery  in  the  world ;  and  that  the  essence  of  sin,  however  dif- 
ferent in  kind  or  degree,  was  the  same,  and  consisted  in  a  general 
habit  of  averseness  or  alienation  from  the  great  Autlior  of  our  being. 
Moreover,  I  saw  that  this  sin  pervaded  every  particle  of  our  natures 
and  ever}^  moment  of  our  lives.  The  mere  moralist  appeared  to 
me  the  most  daring  sinner,  the  most  senseless  invertor  of  things. 
For  he  presumes  to  boast  of  his  performance  of  the  little  duties  of 
hfe,  while  the  great  duty,  the  one  duty,  is  left  out  of  the  account. 
How  ridiculous  to  imagine  that  we  can  be  good  parents,  children, 
subjects,  when  we  are  not  good  creatures  !  This  is  to  suppose  that 
a  watch  will  go  well,  when  the  main-spring  is  broken  ;  or  a  stream 
flow,  when  its  source  is  dried  up.  Now,  the  sins  of  my  life  seemed 
to  pass  in  review  before  me.  I  perceived  that  their  peculiar  malig- 
nity consisted  in  this — (hat  they  proceeded  from  a  soul  regardless 
of  its  Maker.  Let  what  would  be  the  action,  enmity  to  God  was 
the  sin  of  it.  My  acts  of  unkindness  and  neglect  to  my  fellow- 
men,  struck  me  as  so  many  demonstrations  of  despite  or  indiffer- 
ence to  Him  who  gave  them  being.  It  was  not  as  they  were  my 
fellow-creatures,  but  as  they  were  His  creatures,  that  I  was  bound 
to  love  them,  and  bear  with  them,  and  do  them  good.  Had  I  loved 
the  Creator,  my  love  to  his  cieatures  would  have  been  a  matter  of 
course,  "  Against  Thee,  Thee  only,  have  I  sinned  !"*  Against 
Thee,  my  Maker,  my  Preserver,  my  benevolent  Friend,  niy  tender 
Father !  Thou  hast  made  me,  and  clothed  me,  and  fed  me,  and 
given  me  a  heart  to  love,  a  soul  to  think,  and  a  mind  to  under- 
stand :  but  T  have  not  loved  Thee,  nor  thought  of  Thee,  nor  known 
Thee  !  What  wonder  if  the  malignity  that  was  rankling  in  my 
heart  towards  Thee,  should  sometimes  break  out  towards  thine  ofT- 

♦  Psalm  li.  4. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  255 

spring !  for  I  now  clearly  perceive  that  I  could  never  have  disliked 
any  thin'^  of  Thine,  had  I  not  had  a  secret  dislike  to  Thee.  Of 
what  good  has  my  existence  been  to  the  world  ?  None,  absolutely 
none.  What  has  been  the  end  of  my  actions  ?  To  gratify  self. 
Have  I  secured  this  end,  paltry  and  miserable  as  I  now  perceive  it 
lobe?  No.  certainly;  my  experience  up  to  this  moment  wrings 
from  me  the  bitter  acknowledgment,  that  I  have  succeeded  only 
in  making  myself  miserable.  What  then  is  the  reason  of  my  fail- 
ure in  the  search  after  happiness?  What  can  it  be  but  this,  that 
God,  the  Essence  and  source  of  happiness,  has  been  left  out  of  my 
system  ?  God  alone  is  sufficient  to  fill  and  satisfy  the  soul  which 
he  has  made ;  and  I  am  destitute  and  empty  of  God. 

But  judging  of  this  great  Being  by  the  indications  and  glimmer- 
ings of  the  reason  which  he  has  lighted  up  within  me,  is  it  possible 
for  a  moment  to  entertain  the  thought  that  he  can  beliold  with 
complacency  a  creatine  like  myself?  Reason  teaches  me  that  he 
is  just;  otherwise  how  could  he  govern  the  world,  which  his  con- 
summate wisdom  has  created?  If  he  be  just,  shall  he  not  punish 
one  who  has  lived  in  the  neglect  of  the  most  obvious  and  indispen- 
sable obligations  to  him?  My  ignorance  of  Him  is  no  excuse;  for 
conscience  witnesses  that  it  has  been  in  some  measure  a  contented 
ignorance.  I  have  not  taken  half  the  pains  to  know  God  that  I 
have  taken  to  know  objects  of  trifling  importance.  My  utmost 
efforts  and  desires  have  been  so  utterly  incommensurate,  I  will  not 
say,  with  the  worthiness  of  the  object  (for  that  is  past  my  con- 
ception), but  even  with  the  faint  and  imperfect  ideas  which  I  might 
have  formed  of  its  worthiness,  that  to  plead  them  in  excuse  would 
be  the  highest  aggravation  of  my  crimes.  If  then  justice  be  one 
of  God's  attributes,  that  attribute  must  be  engaged  to  punish  any 
unnatural  attempt  to  banish  Him  from  his  own  creation;  to  de- 
pose Him  from  his  natural  supremacy  over  my  heart.  Nor  can 
I  hope  to  escape  with  a  slight  punishment. — .Justice  consists,  not 
only  in  awarding  retribution,  but  in  suiting  it  to  the  nature  and 
degree  of  the  offence.  Mine  is  an  infinite  offence;  committed 
against  an  infinite  Being,  to  whom  I  was  bound  by  infinite  obliga- 
tions.    Shall  not  the  retribution  be  infinite? 

Besides,  I  have  only  to  open  my  eyes,  and  look  on  what 
passes  before  them  every  day,  to  behold  manifest  tokens  of  the 
indignation  of  God  against  a  "  world  that  lieth  in  wickedness." 
Has  he  not  hidden  himself  from  our  knowledge?  Are  we  not 
all  abandoned  to  a  sort  of  natural  blindness  and  ignorance  of 
all  that  pertains  to  him,  and  can  there  be  a  more  decisive  in- 
dication of  his  displeasure?  This  earth, — who  can  help  perceiv- 
ing, that  it  lies  under  circumstances  of  banishment  and  aliena- 
tion from  its  Creator?  Would  God  form  beings  capable  of  know- 
ing him,  and  then  leave  them  in  ignorance  of  him,  unless  they 
had  in  some  way  or  other  forfeited  his  favor?  Do  not  the  va- 
rious contradictory  religions,  with  which  the  world  is  filled,  prove 
it  to  be  in  a  state  of  the  grossest  ignorance  and  uncertainty  about 


256  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

God?  What  are  all  the  infirmities  and  diseases  which  attack 
mankind,  but  a  proof  that  sin,  besides  having  ruined  and  de- 
based the  soul,  has  deranged  and  withered  the  body  ?  What  are 
all  the  fierce  altercations  and  demoniac  passions  which  desolate 
the  earth,  and  make  it  like  hell,  but  a  manifestation  of  tlie  most 
just  vengeance  of  God,  which  has  left  us  to  wreak  our  quarrel 
with  him  upon  one  another,  so  that  one  half  of  the  human  race 
seems  to  be  made  for  the  scourge  and  executioners  of  the  other 
half?  What  shall  we  say  of  death  itself,  but  that  it  demon- 
strates our  whole  substance  to  be  so  contaminated,  that  it  nnist 
be  taken  to  pieces,  and  built  up  afresh,  before  it  can  be  purged 
from  the  deadly  contagion  ?  Add  to  this,  that  the  ordinary  com- 
merce and  discourse  of  men  prove  them  to  have  an  internal  con- 
sciousness that  all  is  not  right  between  God  and  their  souls. 
When  a  hypocrite  would  invest  himself  with  the  semblance  of 
religion,  does  it  ever  occur  to  him  to  put  on  an  air  of  cheerful- 
ness and  hilarity  '^  Docs  not  the  very  inflection  of  his  voice  be- 
come whining  and  dolorous,  as  if  that  were  the  only  tone  suited 
to  the  occasion?  Whence  is  this,  but  to  accommodate  himself 
to  the  general  idea  wliich  men  have  of  religion,  that  it  is  a  burden- 
some and  melancholy  thing?  T'o  what  cause  shall  we  attribute 
the  almost  universal  prevalence  of  sacrifices  in  the  heathen  world? 
Whence  could  men  derive  the  idea  of  pro])itiating  God's  favor  by 
the  slaughter  of  an  innocent  animal  ?  Does  not  this  custom  im- 
ply the  idea  of  an  offended  God?  Does  it  not  originate  in  a  hidden 
sense  of  sin — in  those  secret  gnawiiigs  of  conscience  which  exist 
in  the  breast  of  every  human  being,  and  which  lead  them  to  think 
of  God  as  an  angry  God?  as  One  whom  it  is  necessary,  by  some 
means,  to  reconcile  and  appease  ? 

But  we  may  find  ample  proof  of  this  fact,  without  going  out 
of  Christian  countries;  or  even  out  of  the  limited  circle  of  our 
own  friends.  What  occasions  the  prevalent  idea  that  religion  is 
a  melancholy  thing — incompatible  with  youth  and  good  spirits — a 
subject  of  too  gloomy  a  cast  to  be  admitted  into  general  conversa- 
tion ?  Who  has  not  witnessed  the  dead  silence,  the  air  of  uneasi- 
ness and  constraint,  which  the  introduction  of  a  serious  reflection 
will  sometimes  spread  over  a  whole  company  ?  What  a  woful 
interruption  to  their  hilarity  !  Politeness  itself  will  scarcely  re- 
strain a  contemptuous  smile,  or  a  bitter  sarcasm,  at  the  expense  of 
the  meddler  who  ventured  to  obtrude  the  offensive  and  ill-timed 
observation.  He  is  directly  marked  as  not  one  of  tliem  ;  and  should 
he  again  attempt  to  introduce  the  subject,  he  will  be  regarded,  in 
every  festive  society,  as  an  intruder.  But,  if  we  were  satisfied 
that  there  was  peaca  belivrcn  its  and  God^  the  mention  of  re- 
ligion could  never  be  oHensive  or  ill-timed — because  religion  would 
then  be  nothing  but  the  continual  expression  of  mirth  and  glad- 
ness,— tiie  chosen  and  ever-pleasing  topic  of  our  most  joyous  mo- 
ments. 

I  have  throv.ii    my  reflections  into  this  brief  order,  without  at- 


THE    TEST    OP    TRUTH.  257 

tempting  to  follow  them  out  exactly  as  they  occurred  to  me  ;  which, 
at  this  distance  of  time  would  be  impossible.  They  darted  in  upon 
my  mind — first  one,  and  then  another,  and  sometimes  many  of 
them  together,  with  a  rapidity  and  force,  which  has  made  me 
since  wonder  that  I  retained  the  perfect  possession  of  my  senses  ; 
and  yet  with  so  much  clearness,  that  the  substance  of  them  is  now 
impressed  on  my  memory  with  the  distinctness  of  facts,  rather 
than  of  thoughts.  Nor  can  I  say,  whether  this  train  of  thought 
was  the  work  of  one  night ;  for  the  same  reflections  pursued  me 
with  little  alteration  for  many  days.  These,  then,  with  many  con- 
siderations of  a  similar  nature,  which  I  c'annot  now  so  distinctly 
recollect,  but  particularly  the  continual  sense  of  my  own  gross  ig- 
norance and  enormous  corruption,  filled  me  with  the  deepest  dis- 
tress ;  and  compelled  me  to  feel,  to  my  great  discomfort,  that  there 
was  a  separation — a  quarrel  between  God  and  his  creature.  I 
found,  in  my  heart,  a  contrariety  to  Him  which  I  was  unable  to  re- 
press. Again,  I  asked  myself — how  shall  I,  a  miserable  reptile, 
sustain  m}^  controversy  with  the  Omnipotent?  Or  stay  His  aveng- 
ing arm,  which  is  ready  to  visit  on  me  the  whole  weight  of  His 
just  indignation?  If  I,  who  am  accustomed  to  wickedness,  and 
hardened  in  it,  yet  know  enough  of  what  is  right  to  abhor  and  de- 
spise myself;  in  what  light  must  1  appear  to  his  all-holy  and  un- 
clouded judgment?  Put  the  case  now — -that  He  should  be  willing 
without  satisfaction  required,  to  pass  over  my  offences,  to  forgive 
me  for  what  my  own  conscience  (planted  by  Him)  condemns  me. 
What  would  be  the  consequences  of  this  clemency  ?  I  should  no 
longer  reverence  or  esteem  Him:  ceasing  to  be  just,  He  would 
cease  to  be  God  in  my  eyes.  I  can  no  more  suppose  God  without 
justice,  than  I  can  suppose  man  without  a  soul.  This  attribute  is 
essential  to  His  character  as  Governor  of  the  universe.  I  should 
despise  a  fellow-creature,  who  should  govern  so  unjustly  and  weakly, 
as  to  suffer  criminals  to  escape  without  paying  the  penalty  due  to 
their  crimes.  Such  a  one's  laws  would  be  trampled  upon,  and  his 
person  treated  with  as  little  regard,  as  was  paid  to  the  fabled  Log 
sent  down  by  Jupiter. 

Even  then — upon  the  monstrous  supposition  that  God,  the  just 
God,  who  has  in  so  many  ways  manifested  His  indignation  against 
sin,  could,  in  my  favor,  be  induced  to  slacken  the  reins  of  his  gov- 
ernment, and  throw  away  the  sceptre  of  his  justice — T  should  gain 
nothing  by  this,  but  the  galling  sensation  of  being  under  the  yoke 
of  One  not  greatly  better  than  myself,  or  at  least  quite  incompetent 
to  his  high  office  as  Judge  of  the  whole  earth. 

On  the  other  hand — if  God  punishes  me,  I  am  involuntarily  led 
to  fear  and  hate  Him.  To  love  a  being,  whose  glory  is  concerned 
in  my  destruction,  is  impossible.  How  shall  I  reconcile  these  two 
opposite  ideas? — the  justice  and  mercy  of  Him,  who  is  at  once  my 
Governor  and  Father !  If  God  pardon  my  sins,  he  is  not  a  Just 
God  ;  that  is,  He  is  no  God  at  all.  If  he  do  not  pardon  sin,  at 
least  in  those  who  desire  to  return  to  Him,  this  is  contrary  to  what 

17 


258  THE    TEST    OP    TRUTH. 

nature  herself  suggests  to  me  of  His  goodness  and  me^c3^  Each 
alternative  is  unspeakably  appalling.  To  have  to  do  with  a  God 
who  weakly  swerves  from  the  demands  of  justice ;  or  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  One,  who  by  letting  justice  have  her  perfect  work,  should 
shut  the  door  of  mercy  upon  mankind.  Yet  the  former  of  ihese 
alternatives  appeared  to  me  incomparably  the  most  dreadful !  I 
had,  within  these  few  hours,  acquired  such  a  perception  of  the  beauty 
of  holiness,  that  the  thought  of  an  unholy  God  was  worse  than 
hell  to  me.  I  felt  that  I  had  rather  God  should  pour  out  on  me  all 
the  vials  of  his  wrath,  than  that,  carried  away  by  an  unworthy 
softness  and  weakness.  He  should  forgive,  and  thereby  encourage 
sin  :  for  sin  appeared  to  me  in  so  odious  a  light,  that  if  it  could  not 
be  purged  out  of  God's  universe  without  the  destruction  of  mankind, 
who  by  sinning  had  deranged  its  order  and  defaced  its  beauty,  my 
soul  was  almost  ready  to  acquiesce  in  the  general  destruction,  and 
to  perish  in  it,  so  that  the  order  and  beauty  of  God's  universe  might 
be  restored.  To  undergo  eternal  punishment  was  horrible  indeed. 
To  acknowledge  an  unholy  God  was  scarcely  less  horrible  ! 

Besides  all  this,  I  plainly  perceived,  that,  supposing  even  there 
were  any  means  of  restoration  to  God's  favor — 1  should  be  contin- 
ually falling  from  it  again,  unless  a  total  change  were  wrought  in 
my  whole  temper  and  disposition.  I  saw  not  how  this  change  was 
to  be  effected.  I  had  experienced  so  much  of  the  weakness  of  my 
best  resolutions,  that  had  an  offer  of  pardon  been  held  out  to  me 
upon  the  condition  of  promising  not  to  offend  again,  I  should  not 
have  dared  to  make  that  promise.  Sin  had  "  separated  between  me 
and  my  God."  This  sin  was  not  an  act  which  I  could  lay  aside — 
a  habit  which  I  could  shake  off;  but  it  was  a  nature.  How  was 
I  to  change  my  nature?  God,  who  made  me  at  first,  coukl  alone 
correct  the  dreadful  disease,  which  had  so  mixed  itself  up  with  my 
whole  constitution,  that  it  seemed  to  form  part  of  myself.  But 
to  this  God — how  should  I  apply?  or  what  reason  had  I  to  hope 
that  He  would  not  leave  me  to  the  consequences  of  my  own  wilful 
rebellion  ! 

In  this  dilemma  it  occurred  to  me,  as  a  last  expedient,  to  turn  my 
attention  once  more  to  that  despised  book,  which  had  been  long  laid 
aside  as  incapable  of  affording  me  the  least  relief  How  different 
was  the  temper  of  my  mind  in  which  I  now  addressed  myself  to 
its  perusal,  from  that  which  I  had  read  it  in  the  commencement  of 
my  disbelief  of  Christianity!  I  was  no  longer  a  proud  sophist,  tri- 
umphing in  the  strength  and  penetration  of  human  reason,  and  in 
the  comprehensiveness  of  human  knowledge.  The  contemplation 
of  my  own  ignorance,  weakness,  and  wickedness,  had  laid  my 
pride  in  the  dust.  My  eyes  were  opened  to  view  myself  as  I  really 
was— depraved  and  blinded  in  my  reason,  judgment,  and  under- 
standing. And  this  is  the  process,  which  must  take  place  in  the 
soul  of  every  man,  before  he  can  pursue  the  search  after  truth 
in  a  right  spirit.    He  must  esteem  himself  "  a  fool,  that  he  may  be 


THE   TEST    OP   TRUTH.  259 

wise  :"*  not  that  he  must  part  with  any  portion  of  his  rational  facul- 
ties ;  but,  having  been  a  fool  all  his  life  long,  he  must  be  led  to  dis- 
cover and  acknowledge  his  foolishness,  before  he  can  so  appreciate 
wisdom,  as  to  search  for  it  with  his  whole  heart. 

My  attention  was  soon  powerfully  drawn  by  the  promises  which 
abound  in  the  Bible,  that  God  will  reveal  himself  to  all  those  who 
diljo-ently  seek  him.  When  I  read  these,  it  struck  me  that  the 
Bible  itself  offered  an  infallible  test — more  sure  than  all  the  argu- 
ments that  ever  were  written  for  and  against  it,  to  prove  whether 
it  was  indeed  the  Word  of  God  or  the  word  of  man.  To  own  the 
truth,  I  was  at  first  startled  by  the  unqualified  nature  of  these 
promises.  The  authors  of  these  books,  if  impostors — and  which  1 
still  inclined  to  believe  them — had  pledged  themselves  in  such  an 
unguarded  manner,  as  must  inevitably  lead  to  their  detection.  Here 
is  an  ent^agement — or  a  pretended  engagement  on  God's  part,  to 
perform  a  miracle  in  favor  of  anyone  who  chooses  to  ask  it  of  Him. 
For  what  can  be  a  greater  miracle  than  to  give  the  knowledge  of 
himself  to  a  soul  that  is  ignorant  of  Him?  .This  is  the  very  es- 
sence and  substance  of  all  miracles.  Other  wonders  and  signs 
may  be  disputed.  This  7;im5^  bring  conviction.  I  cannot  persuade 
myself  that  the  Author  of  this  Book  will  be  able  to  redeem  His 
pledge  ;  or  to  realize  the  expectations  which  he  has  so  confidently 
held  out.  Nevertheless  I  can  but  make  the  experiment.  I  shall, 
at  least,  forever  rid  myself  of  whatever  doubts  I  may  have  enter- 
tained respecting  the  origin  of  the  Bible.  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be 
given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find."  "  He  shall  give  his  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him."  "Then  ye  shall  seek  me,  and  find 
me,  when  ye  shall  search  after  me  with  your  whole  heart."t  Can 
words  speak  plainer  ?  Well,  1  will  ask— I  will  seek  !  If  what  I 
ask  is  given  me  ;  if  I  find  what  I  seek — what  can  I  want  more  to 
convince  me  that  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God?  If  what  I  ask 
is  7iot  given  !  If  I  do  not  find  what  I  seek — I  may  safely  conclude 
that  the  Bible  is  a  very  awkwardly-contrived  lie ;  and,  as  such,  I 
will  cast  it  from  me  with  contempt.  Be  this,  however,  as  it  may— 
I  can  lose  nothing  by  making  the  trial;  possibly  I  may  gain  much. 
Whether  he  who  made  this  promise  be  God  or  man,  his  reasoning 
is  full  of  judgment  and  good  sense.  For  who  is  to  give  us  the 
knowledge  of  God — if  God  himself  either  cannot,  or  will  not  give 
it  to  us  ?  Since  "  the  father  will  not  give  his  son  a  stone  when  he 
asks  bread"— since  evil  men  "  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  their 
children  ;"  how  reasonable  is  the  inference,  that  the  good  God  must 
"know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  His  offspring  !"  I  will  apply  to 
my  unknown — my  heavenly  Father.  I  will  ask  Him  to  give  me 
the  knowledge  of  Himself  Will  he  mock  me  with  a  delusion? 
Will  he  present  me  with  '•  a  scorpion"  when  I  "  ask  Him  for  bread  ?" 
I  will  implore  Him  to  teach  me  to  believe  what  is  right  concerning 
Him.  Supposing  the  Bible  account  of  Him  to  be  wrong,  will  he 
thrust  this  wrong  belief  upon  me,  when  I  am  asking  Him  for  a 
*  See  I  Cor.  iii.  18.  t  Luke  xi.  9—13.     Jer.  xxix.  13. 


260  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

right  one  ?  Is  He  indeed  so  unlike  a  parent  ?  It  was  He  that 
fashioned  a  father's  heart,  and  implanted  a  father's  feelings.  Is  it 
too  much  to  suppose  that  He  himself  has  the  heart — the  feeUngs  of 
a  father  ? 

The  sense  of  m}""  guilt  held  me  back  for  a  time.  I  feared  that 
the  great  Being,  whom  I  was  about  to  address,  would  not  listen  to 
the  prayer  of  one  so  worthless;  but  I  reflected,  that  a  state  of  sub- 
mission and  desire  could  not  be  so  displeasing  to  Him,  as  one  of 
carelessness  and  rebellion.  To  lay  myself  low  at  his  feet  with  the 
deepest  prostration,  and  to  implore  mercy,  was  all  that  I  could  do 
in  my  present  ignorance  ;  and  since  mine  was  no  longer  a  wilful 
ignorance,  I  hoped  that  Infinite  Benevolence  might  in  time  extri- 
cate me  from  it. 

One  thing  was  sufficiently  clear — man  was  not  able  to  help  me 
to  what  I  wanted.  God  alone  was  able  to  assist  me.  It  remained 
for  me  to  try  whether  he  were  iDilling  to  save  a  soul  that  was  per- 
ishing for  "  lack  of  knowledge." 

Impelled  by  these  reflections,  fearful  and  uncertain,  but  with  un- 
controllable— unutterable  longings,  I  directed  my  supplications  to 
the  "  unknown  GodP  O  my  Redeemer  !  the  first  breathings  of 
my  soul  were  not  uttered  in  thy  name.  I  rushed  into  the  presence 
of  my  Judge,  without  a  Mediator:  but,  doubtless,  even  then  thy 
comeliness  was  thrown  over  the  deformity  of  my  soul,  and  the  eye 
of  my  Father  beheld  me  with  pity  for  Thy  dear  sake  !  My  prayer 
ascended  up  to  heaven  fragrant  with  the  incense  of  thy  merits — 
though  the  poor  wretch  who  offered  it,  thought  to  please  God  by 
leaving  Thee  out  of  it !  Let  thy  goodness  and  mercy  to  me  en- 
courage other  poor  ignorant  souls,  who  are  groping  their  way  to 
God  in  the  dark,  not  to  desist  from  the  search  till  they  have  found 
Him  ;  and  having  found  Him,  they  will  find  Thee — and  having 
found  Thee,  they  will  hold  Thee  fast ;  or  rather.  Thou  wilt  hold 
them  fast  to  all  eternity  ! 

Thus  I  set  my  face  in  good  earnest,  to  seek  the  Lord,  my  God. 
Every  other  employment  was  not  only  laid  aside,  but  forgotten.  I 
confessed  to  Him,  that  I  was  unworthy  of  the  least  of  His  favors 
which  he  had  heaped  upon  me  :  yet  I  ventured  to  tell  Him,  that  all 
these  were  of  no  value  in  my  eyes,  except  as  they  encouraged  me 
to  hope  for  some  further  manifestation  of  his  goodness.  O  God  ! 
(I  dared  not  say,  my  God — the  word  died  upon  my  unhallowed 
lips) — Thou  hast  given  me  a  wondrous  power  of  knowing;  but 
there  is  but  one  thing  worth  knowing  ;  and  of  that  I  am  ignorant — 
I  would  know  Thee.  My  capacity  of  knowledge  is  no  better  than 
a  curse  to  me,  while  the  only  thing  worthy  to  satisfy  that  capacity 
is  hid  from  me.     Thou — Thou  art  the  true  object  of  knowledge  ! 

0  let  me  know  Thee — or  let  me  know  nothing  !  Thou  hast  given 
me  a  power  of  loving;  but  in  vain  I  look  round  for  something  to 
love.     Thou  canst  fill  my  heart — and  none  but  Thou.     But  Thee 

1  cannot  find  :  and  there  is  some  wretched  principle  within  me 
which  will  not  let  me  love  Thee.     O  Thou,  who  art  all  lovely,  re- 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  261 

.Store  me  to  the  natural  perception  of  a  creature  !  Bring  back  my 
alienated  affections  to  their  true  centre — that  I  may  see  and  love 
Him  who  gave  me  birth.  Thou  hast  made  me  capable  of  bound- 
less longings  and  desires — but  the  whole  earth  would  not  satisfy 
those  longings  ;  no,  nor  the  whole  universe,  unless  I  could  find 
Thee  in  it.  Oh  !  why  didst  thou  put  within  me  such  high  and 
restless  aspirings,  if  I  was  indeed  made  for  so  low  an  end  as  to  hve 
and  die  without  knowing  Thee  l  Thou  gavest  me  the  appetite  of 
hunger — and  lo !  ever  since  I  was  born,  Thou  hast  supplied  me 
with  food  to  satisfy  that  hunger.  Dost  Thou  care  for  the  wants 
of  the  body?  and  wilt  thou  not  provide  for  the  wants  of  the  soul? 
Now  my  soul  hungers,  which  it  would  never  have  done,  hadst  not 
Thou  formed  it  capable  of  spiritual  appetites.  Wilt  not  Thou  give 
the  food  that  must  satisfy  my  soul  ?  Will  the  God,  whose  good- 
ness prevents  every  hodiUj  want,  leave  me  to  perish  in  my  spirit- 
ual necessities?  The  power  of  thought — ^the  ardent  and  ineffable 
breathings  of  my  mind,  are  but  so  many  aggravations  of  my  mis- 
ery. The  very  light  of  reason  only  serves  to  make  my  darkness 
visible,  to  discover  to  me  how  low  I  am  fallen  !  These  Thy  great — 
Thy  peculiar  blessings,  are  just  so  many  curses  to  me — so  long  as 
I  am  shut  out  from  thy  knowledge  and  love.  I  know  that  I  am 
not  worthy  ;  but  nature  whispers  to  me  that  thou  art  merciful. 
I  see  no  way  of  becoming  reconciled  to  tliee  ;  but  reason  teaches 
me,  that  Thou  mayest  be  able  to  find  out  a  way,  though  I  caimot. 
Life  is  not  life,  unless  I  know  the  Giver  of  it.  All  the  time  that  I 
have  lived  without  Thee  in  the  world,  I  seem  to  have  been  dead  ; 
more  senseless  than  a  stock  or  stone— more  brutish  than  the  beasts 
which  perish  ! 

Such  tilings  as  these  I  groaned  out  of  the  fulness  of  my  heart ;  for 
[  was  seldom  able  to  speak.  My  deep  self-abhorrence,  and  the  in- 
expressible ardency  of  my  desires,  choked  up  the  way  to  every  out- 
ward expression  of  my  feelings.  I  often  lay  prostrate  on  the  ground 
for  hours  together — not  from  any  superstitious  preference  of  that 
attitude  ;  but  because  the  sense  of  my  own  unfitness  to  come  into 
God's  presence  quite  overwhelmed  me.  I  should  have  sunk  into 
the  earth,  had  that  been  possible  ;  so  great  was  the  prostration  of 
soul  occasioned  by  the  perpetual  consciousness  that  God  was  present, 
and  that  I  was  unworthy. 

In  this  manner  I  gave  myself  wholly  up  to  seeking  for  my  Crea- 
tor. For  days  and  weeks,  1  however  sought  him  apparently  in  vain. 
My  blindness  and  vmcertainty  seemed  to  increase  daily.  I  was 
often  on  the  point  of  abandoning,  in  despair,  an  effort  so  unpromis- 
ing— and  wished  for  death,  as  the  only  tiling  which  could  terminate 
my  afflicting  suspense ;  but  then  it  occurred  to  me,  that  the  Bible 
has  nowhere  promised  an  iinniediate  answer  lo  prayer.  The  ex- 
periment, therefore,  was  not  a  fair  one — unless  it  was  persevered 
in  :  nay,  1  recollected  that  so  far  from  promising  an  iminediate  an- 
swer, it  gives  repeated  intimations  that  we  may  perhaps  have  to 
wait  a  long  time  for  the  accomplishment  of  our  desires.     It  warns 


262  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

men  that  they  must  "  tarry  the  Lord's  leisure" — that  "  they  must 
pray,  and  not  faint  :"*  besides  this,  I  could  not  deny,  that  God  had 
Jong  waited  patiently  for  me,  and  borne  with  my  careless  uncon- 
cern. It  was  reasonable  that  I,  in  my  turn,  should  wait  patiently 
for  God  ;  and  not  abandon  the  search,  when  perhaps  a  little  fur- 
ther perseverance  would  end  in  the  realization  of  my  most  san- 
guine wishes.  I  knew  too,  that  I  was  in  pursuit,  of  an  object  wor- 
thy of  the  intenseness  of  my  desires  ;  and  which,  when  found, 
would  amply  recompense  any  labor  I  might  expend  in  seeking  it. 
I  therefore  continued  my  entreaties,  that  God  would  graciously 
vouchsafe  to  open  my  understanding  to  know  Him,  and  my  heart 
to  love  Him  as  a  rational  creature  ought  to  do. 

I  waited  not  in  vain.  God  at  length  revealed  Himself  to  my 
understanding  in  a  way  that  abundantly  surpassed  my  expecta- 
tions—I say  to  my  understanding  ;  for  this  was  no  rapturous 
trance  of  enthusiasm,  but  the  sober  and  rational  conviction  of  every 
faculty  of  my  mind.  I  hope  none  of  my  readers  will  think  that  I 
attribute  too  much  power,  or  too  much  benevolence  to  the  Supreme 
Being,  when  I  assert  that  He  who  first  gave  me  understanding,  did 
enlighten  that  understanding  in  a  manner  which  I  was  sensible  no 
efforts  of  my  own  could  have  done  ;  and  whicli  yet  was  so  clear — 
so  consistent — so  satisfactory,  that  every  former  act  of  my  reason, 
in  comparison  with  this,  seemed  like  the  incoherent  ravings  of  de- 
lirium !  If  however,  they  doubt — let  them  try  the  experiment  for 
themselves:  nor  let  them  suppose  that  this  was  a  sudden  flash  of 
conviction — no,  it  was  a  process  as  collected  and  deliberate  as  that 
by  which  the  mind  fir.^t  scrutinizes,  and  then  embraces  the  propo- 
sitions of  mathematical  science.  My  eyes  were  opened  to  discern 
the  glory  and  excellence  of  the  Scriptures,  and  their  amazing  su- 
periority to  every  human  composition.  I  perceived  that  they  car- 
ried, within  their  own  pages,  a  witness  to  their  Uivine  Origin.  Con- 
vinced by  this  internal  evidence,  I  recognized  in  the  Bible  the  reve- 
lation of  God  to  his  fallen  creatures.  In  this  book  alone,  I  saw  per- 
fect justice  and  perfect  mercy — perfect  holiness  and  perfect  clemen- 
cy, reconciled  in  a  way  worthy  of  the  Diety  :  and  though  I  know 
that  this  internal  evidence  cannot  be  perceived  but  by  those  whose 
eyes  God  himself  opens  to  behold  the  wondrous  things  out  of  his 
law;  yet  trusting  that  he  will,  in  some  instances,  thus  "confirm 
the  word  of  his  servant,"  I  will  endeavor  to  comprise,  in  as  short  a 
space  as  possible,  the  points  which  struck  me  as  most  worthy  of  ob- 
servation during  this  (to  me)  memoral.)le  perusal  of  the  Sacred  Ora- 
cles. Again  I  remind  my  readers,  that  the  correctness  of  my  asser- 
tions can  only  be  proved  by  bringing  them  to  the  touchstone  of 
Truth.  If  God  did  indeed  teach  me,  he  must  be  also  willing  to 
instruct  them.  Let  them  try  whether  he  is  able  to  keep  this  prom- 
ise :  "  Call  unto  me,  and  I  will  answer  thee  ;  and  show  thee  great 
and  mighty  things  which  thou  knowest  not  !"t 

1.  The  character  given  of  God  in  the  Scriptures,  appeared  to  me 

*  Psalm  xxvii.  14.     Luke  xviii.  1.  t  Jer.  xxxiii.  3. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  263 

such,  that  no  finite  mind  could  have  conceived  or  portrayed  il. 
Here  is  nothing  of  the  imperfection — the  inconsistency — the  Httle- 
ness  of  humanity.  All  is  majesty  and  infinity!  No  one  attri- 
bute obscures  or  encroaches  upon  another.  Here — and  here  only, 
we  have  a  God  glorious  in  holiness — inflexible  in  justice — that  will 
not  look  upon  iniquity :  and  yet  slow  to  anger  and  of  tender  mer- 
cy, justifying  the  ungodly,  and  teaching  sinners  in  Uie  way.  Well 
and  truly  did  the  apostle  describe  the  scope  of  the  Gospel  in  these 
terms  :  "  And  this  is  the  message  we  have  heard  of  God,  and  de- 
clare unto  you,  that  God  is  ligkt ;  and  in  Him  is  no  dar'kness  at 
ally  No— there  is  no  darkness  in  the  Scripture  representation  of 
God  ;  but  when  men  attempt  to  form  conceptions  of  His  character, 
for  want  of  tlie  compreliensive  vision  which  so  mighty  a  subject 
requires,  they  cannot  look  at  one  of  His  attributes  without  losing 
sight  of  another.  Thus  they  can  form  some  faint  idea  of  His  jus- 
tice, or  of  His  mercy,  separately :  though  even  that  is  a  justice  and 
a  mercy  limited  and  defective  like  their  own.  But  their  narrow 
minds  cannot  grasp  the  United  Idea  !  They  form  some  rude  con- 
jeclures  of  the  separate  parts  ;  but  the  mighty — consistent  whole,  is 
quite  beyond  their  largest  tliought.  Therefore  it  is  that  some  fancy 
to  themselves  a  God  who  is  all  justice,  and  no  mercy  :  wiiile  far 
the  greater  part  imagine  Him  to  be  all  mercy  and  no  justice  :  or,  at 
least,  fondly  persuade  themselves  that  he  will  put  His  justice  by, 
whenever  it  happens  to  interfere  with  their  convenience.  God  is 
merciful,  deluded  man!  but  His  mercy  is  not  like  thy  mercy — it  is 
neither  a  weak,  nor  an  vmholy  principle ;  nor  will  it  avail  thee 
aught,  if  thou  diest  in  thy  sins ! 

Thus  man  cannot  describe  one  of  God's  perfections  without  mar- 
ring another;  but  the  Scripture  takes  them  all  into  the  account. 
His  justice — His  mercy — His  holiness — His  compassion,  all  meet  in 
perfect  unison,  and  their  jarring  claims  are  sweetly  reconciled  in 
Christ  Jesus.  This  was  exactly  what  I  wanted,  but  had  scarcely 
hoped  to  find.  This  was  the  God  whom  I  had  longed  to  call  "  my 
God  1"  Now  I  could  say,  "  rmj  God  !"  Now  I  could  call  Him 
"  Father  and  Friend  !"  Now  I  had  a  forgiveness  extended  to  me, 
which,  far  from  involving  the  horrible  compromise  of  God's  holi- 
ness, which  I  had  fancied  necessary  before  He  could  pardon  me, 
was  itself  "  the  beauty  of  holiness  :" — was  such  a  manifestation  of 
God's  sanctity  and  of  His  hatred  to  sin,  that  in  the  very  act  of 
showing  mercy,  His  justice  and  His  holiness  were  most  gloriously 
vindicated. 

2.  The  character  of  Jesus  caused  me  fresh  transports  of  admira- 
tion every  time  I  contemplated  it.  How  many  writers  have  wearied 
themselves  in  the  attempt  to  describe  a  perfect  character !  and  how 
miserably  have  they  all  failed  !  Now  here  was  an  undertaking  ten 
thousand  times  more  arduous  :  so  bold  that  the  very  conception  of 
it  could  scarcely  have  entered  into  the  limited  capacity  of  man.  It 
was  no  less  than  this — to  delineate  the  character  of  One  who  should 


264  THE    TEST    OP    TRUTH. 

be  at  once  "perfect  man  and  perfect  God" — -'God  manifest  in  the 
flesh.'' 

And  how  do  they  attempt  to  embody  this  magnificent  concep- 
tion? What  splendid  description  shall  convey  to  us  the  boundless 
ideas,  or  astound  us  into  a  belief  of  its  reality  ?  What  learned  defi- 
nitions shall  mark  the  points  of  the  character  they  have  chosen  to 
portray  ?  Do  -they  seek  to  dazzle  us  by  placing  their  hero  in  an 
exalted  rank,  and  surrounding  him  with  every  circumstance  of 
magnificence?  Do  they  make  him  run  a  long  career  of  glory, 
adorned  with  the  highest  advantages  of  honor,  valor  and  learning? 
Q,uite  the  contrary.  They  give  us  the  very  plain  and  simple  his- 
tory of  a  man  who  passed  his  life  in  a  poor  and  niean  condition, 
surrounded  by  enemies  who  spared  no  pains  to  crush  and  disgrace 
him,  who  would  have  been  overjoyed  to  discern  the  least  defect  in 
his  extraordinary  character.  He  is  born  in  a  manger  ;  educated  as 
the  carpenter's  son  ;  lives  in  poverty  and  contempt  as  an  itinerant 
preacher;  and  dies  an  infamous  death  between  two  thieves.  The 
ignominy  of  his  life  and  death,  the  low  esteem  in  which  he  should 
be  held  by  all,  were  portrayed  beforehand  with  so  much  exactness 
in  the  sacred  books  of  the  Jews  (books  confided  to  the  care  of  the 
Jewish  priests,  his  bitter  enemies.)  that  many  infidels  have  been 
converted  to  Christianity,  by  comparing  the  prophetic  writings  with 
the  Gospel  History  ;  and  the  Jewish  Rabbins,  unable  to  evade  their 
force,  have  been  constrained  to  prohibit  the  reading  of  one  chapter 
in  particular  (Isaiah  liii.)  under  the  severest  denunciations.  The 
coincidence  between  the  prophetic  life  and  character  of  Jesus,  and 
his  real  life  and  character,  struck  me  forcibly.  These  were  not 
prophecies  of  which  it  could  be  pleaded,  that  they  were  written  after 
the  events  they  described  ;  for  not  only  have  we  certain  proof  to  the 
contrary,  but  we  know  that  the  Jews  would  be  very  glad  of  such  a 
plea,  and  yet  they  have  never  ventured  to  make  it.  Nor  can  it  be 
said  that  the  accomplishment  was  forced  and  strained  to  suit  the 
prophecy  ;  for  the  most  striking  points  of  coincidence  consist  of 
facts  over  which  an  impostor  could  exercise  no  control,  or  traits  of 
character  which  were  very  unlikely  to  have  occurred  to  him. 
Again,  supposing  the  Gospel  to  be  an  invention,  here  was  another 
difficulty  of  no  common  magnitude  which  its  authors  had  to  en- 
counter. Not  only  had  they  to  describe  this  perfect  twofold  char- 
acter, but  to  make  it  naturally  fall  in  and  accord  with  divers  accounts 
scattered  here  and  there  through  a  series  of  books  written  at  very 
different  times,  and  in  very  different  styles  of  description.  Surely 
if  the  Gospel  be  a  lie,  it  is  the  most  ingenious  lie  that  ever  was  in- 
vented, and  its  writers  must  have  had  longer  and  clearer  heads  than 
fall  to  the  lot  of  impostors  in  our  times. 

But  to  return.  I  scrutinized  again  and  again  every  part  of  this 
divine  character,  represented  with  so  much  plainness,  and  under 
such  unfavorable  circumstances.  But  after  all  myscrutijiy,  I  could 
not  find,  I  will  not  say  a  fault,  but  not  even  so  much  as  an  incon- 
sistencv  in  the  character  of  Jesus.     To  describe  a  character  with- 


THE    TEST    OP    TRUTH.  265 

out  any  glaring  defects,  is  a  comparalively  easy  task ;  but  to  de- 
scribe one  which  should  be  consistent  in  all  its  parts,  appeared  to 
me  utterly  impossible  to  a  being  so  inconsistent  as  man.  Especially 
a  cliaracter  so  singular  as  this,  whose  distinguishing  paints  are  di- 
rectly contrary  to  the  distinguishing  points  of  man's  character  in 
general.  Like  the  Pharisee-f,  (though,  I  trust,  in  a  far  ditferent 
spirit,)  I  lay  in  wait  to  "  catch  Jesus  in  his  words."*  Often  did  I 
fancy  tliat  I  had  met  with  something  at  which  I  might  reasonably 
be  offended.  But  that  Holy  Spirit,  who  had  already  begun  to  take 
of  the  things  of  Jesus  and  show  them  unto  me,  always  led  me  in 
the  end  to  perceive  that  tlie  offence  was  occasioned  l^y  my  own 
gro>s  ignorance  and  vitiated  judgment  of  spiritual  things.  As  each 
difficulty  was  successively  cleared  up,  my  admiration  arose  almost 
to  ecstasy  ;  and  my  doubts  were  lost  in  a  deep  and  loving  confi- 
dence, till  at  length,  after  many  of  these  trials,  I  could,  when  any 
thing  seemed  strange  to  me,  go  to  Jesus  himself,  and  sitting  down 
at  his  feet  as  a  little  child,  expect  from  him  a  solution  of  the  mys- 
tery. I  no  longer  exclaimed,  this  is  contrary  to  reason,  I  will  not 
believe  : — but,  this  surpasses  my  comprehension,  I  cannot  under- 
stand;  Lord,  teach  thy  foolish  and  ignorant  creature  what  this 
means  !  The  more  I  studied  this  divine  character,  the  more  1  grew 
up,  as  it  were,  into  its  holiness  and  simplicity,  the  more  my  under- 
standing was  enabled  to  shake  off  those  slavish  and  sinful  preju- 
dices, which  had  hindered  me  from  appreciating  its  excellence. 
Truly  his  '•  words  were  dearer  to  me  than  my  necessary  food."t 
He  became  unto  me  "  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  redemption. ''1  He  was  my  "all  in  all."  1  did  not  want 
to  have  any  knowledge,  goodness  or  strength,  independently  of 
him.  I  had  rather  be  '•  accepted  in  the  beloved,"  than  received 
(had  that  been  possible)  upon  the  score  of  my  own  merits.  I  had 
rather  walk  leaning  on  his  arm,  than  have  a  stock  of  strength  given 
me  to  perform  the  journey  alone.  To  learn,  as  a  fool,  of  Christ, 
this  was  better  to  me  than  to  have  the  knowledge  of  an  angel  to 
find  out  things  for  myself  Nor  is  there  any  thing  in  all  this  con- 
trary to  reason.  For  as  the  highest  wisdom  of  a  little  child  is  to 
learn  implicitly  of  its  teacher  ;  so  I,  having  found  a  teacher  and 
guide,  whose  intelligence  was  above  mine  or  the  angel's,  not  as  a 
man  is  above  the  child,  but  "as  he  who  maketh  a  house  is  greater 
than  the  house."  it  was  my  business  to  learn  implicitly  of  him,  and 
to  submit  my  mind  to  his,  secure  that  I  should  thus  attain  the  high- 
est end  of  a  created  being. 

But  I  turn  back  for  a  moment  to  the  reflections  which  possessed 
me,  when  first  the  beauty,  consistency  and  majesty  of  the  charac- 
ter of  Jesus  began  to  be  evident  to  my  mind.  I  asked  myself, 
Who  had  invented  this  character.^  A  company  of  ignorant  fisher- 
men l  Or  supposing  we  will  not  allow  them  to  be  the  authors,  still 
the  language  and  style  of  the  writings  may  prove  to  us,  that  they 
were  the  composition  of  unlearned  men,  incapable  of  any  effort  of 
*  Mark  xii.  13.  f  Job.  xxili.  12.  :j:  1  Cor.  i.  30. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

intellect  beyond  that  required  to  tell  a  plain  unvarnished  tale.  But 
grant  even  that  they  were  men  of  learning  and  genius:  still  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  that  to  believe  the  life  and  character  of  Jesus  to  be 
the  invention  of  any  merely  human  intellect,  required  a  far  greater 
stretch  of  credulity,  than  to  believe  that  he  was  "God  manifest  in 
the  flesh."  Those  indeed  who  can  persuade  themselves  that  this 
world  and  all  its  curiously  contrived  machinery  were  the  work  of 
a  blind  chance,  may  conclude  that  the  character  of  Jesus  was 
traced  by  a  mere  mortal  pen.  But  those  who  attribute  any  thing 
to  a  divine  power,  must,  we  should  thing,  perceive  in  this,  manifest 
tokens  of  a  divine  power.  No  intellect  short  of  an  infinite  intellect 
could  have  conceived  the  mighty  thought.  No  pen  uninspired  by 
that  intellect  could  have  embodied  that  thought  in  the  life  of  an 
obscure  individual.  Were  I  to  assure  you,  gentle  reader,  that  the 
immortal  work  of  Newton  was  composed  by  a  child  at  the  breast, 
you  would  smile  at  my  simplicity.  But  I  am  ready  to  weep  at  the 
violence  you  offer  to  your  reasoning  faculties,  when  you  can  lay  your 
hand  upon  the  life  of  Christ,  and  pronounce  that  to  be  the  produc- 
tion of  any  human  mind.  Yet  remembering  that  your  reason  is 
blinded  by  the  deceitfulness  of  sin,  and  that  I  was  once  as  blind  as 
yourself,  not  even  this  excess  of  prejudice  can  damp  iny  hopes  re- 
specting you.  I  lift  up  my  heart  to  God,  who  opens  the  blind  eyes. 
In  the  meantime,  though  now  you  "see  no  beauty  in  Jesus  that 
you  should  desire  him,''  yet  I  beseech  you,  for  the  sake  of  truth 
and  candor,  to  give  his  character  in  the  Bible  your  serious  conside- 
ration. There  is  a  divine  power  and  excellency  in  it,  which  may 
find  its  way  to  your  heart  when  you  least  expect  it.  And  if  ever 
'•'  God  shines  in  your  heart,  to  give  you  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  God,"  that  glory  will  be  revealed  to  you  "  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ."* 

3.  The  Scripture  character  of  man  struck  me  as  differing  ex- 
ceedingly from  that  given  in  any  other  book.  It  was  evidently  no 
portrait  of  his  own  painting.  Every  other  book  represents  man 
more  or  less  as  he  ought  to  be.  The  Bible  alone  depicts  him  as  he 
really  is.  All  the  systems  of  all  the  philosophers  ;  all  the  religions 
of  all  nations,  are  founded  upon  the  supposition,  that  the  heart  of 
man  is  not  altogether  corrupt,  that  a  little  mending  and  patching 
only  are  wanting  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  One  lauds  the  dignity 
and  rectitude  of  human  nature.  Another  talks  of  the  sincerity  of 
our  endeavors,  and  the  efficacy  of  our  resolutions.  What  say  the 
Scriptures  ?  "  The  heart  of  man  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and 
desperately  wicked."!  If  you  patch  new  cloth  upon  the  old  gar- 
ment, you  will  only  make  the  rent  worse. t  Of  our  dignity  they 
say,  "  the  crown  is  fallen  from  our  head  :  woe  unto  us,  that  we 
have  sinned."§  Of  our  rectitude  and  sincerity, — "  ye  are  estranged 
from  the  womb  ;  ye  go  astray  as  soon  as  ye  are  born,  speaking 
lies."ll     Of  our  endeavors, — "  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing."!    Of 

*  See  2  Cor.  iv.  6.  t  Jer.  xvii.  9.  t  See  Matt.  ix.  16. 

§  Lam.  V.  16.  II  Psalm  Iviii.  3.  IT  John  xv.  5. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  267 

our  resolutions, — "ye  are  not  sufficient  of  yourselves  to  think  any 
thing  as  of  yourselves."*  They  stoop  not  to  flatter  the  pride  and 
vanit}''  of  man  by  false  and  hollow  encouragements.  They  go  to 
the  root  of  the  evil.  They  tell  him  the  plain  trutli ;  that  he  has 
neither  rectitude  to  choose  ;  nor  sincerity  to  love  ;  nor  energy  to  re- 
solve ;  nor  strengtli  to  execute  that  which  is  good,  "They  are 
sottish  children,  and  have  not  known  me;  they  are  wisQ  to  do  evil, 
but  to  do  good  they  have  no  knowledge."'!  What  I  had  been  led 
to  discover  of  my  own  heart,  corresponded  with  the  declarations  of 
Scripture,  as  exactly  as  when  '■  a  man  beholdeth  his  natural  face 
in  a  glass."  I  will  say  more.  This  book  discovered  to  me  so 
many  new  enormities  of  Avhich  I  was  before  ignorant,  that  I  could 
not  help  exclaiming  at  every  page:  Surely,  He  only  who  searcheth 
the  heart  could  so  accurately  describe  its  dark  and  intricate  move- 
ments !  Surely  none  but  He  who  made  man  could  know  so  well 
what  was  in  man  ! 

Now,  in  any  case  of  bodily  disease,  it  inconceivably  enhances  our 
confidence  in  a  physician,  if,  while  he  describes  to  us  the  symptoms 
of  our  case,  we  perceive  that  our  feelings  exactly  tally  with  every 
part  of  his  description  :  we  indulge  a  reasonable  hope,  that  he, 
who  has  so  thoroughly  acquainted  himself  with  the  symploms  of 
our  complaint,  will  be  able  to  suggest  a  remedy.  Thus  it  was  with 
my  spiritual  malady.  I  found  every  p:irticular  of  my  sulTerings, 
my  necessities,  my  blindness,  obduracy  and  depravity  of  heart,  laid 
down  in  the  Bible  with  such  extraordinary  and  felicitous  precision 
of  language,  that  from  that  time  mi/  own  loords  seemed  quite  inade- 
quate to  the  description  of  my  case.  I  could  recollect  none  but  Scrip- 
ture words,  when  I  wanted  to  define  my  feelings  :  all  other  words 
seemed  poor,  feeble  and  unmeaning.  As  a  person  who  has  long 
been  laboring  under  sensations  which  he  is  unable  to  describe,  if 
he  lights  upon  an  exact  delineation  of  them,  will  exclaim — -'Ah  ! 
that  is  exactly  what  I  wanted  to  say ;  only  I  could  not  find  words 
to  express  it  in"^so  in  reading  the  Scripture  description  of  the  sin 
and  ignorance  of  man  I  was  continually  forced  to  cry  out,  "Yes — 
my  experience  is  the  very  counterpart  of  this  !  only  it  is  expressed 
with  a  force  and  appropriateness,  which  no  language  of  mine  could 
have  reached."  It  will  not  appear  wonderful,  that,  lighting  upon 
this  astonishing  accurate  definition  of  my  wants  and  distresses,  I 
should  be  disposed  to  give  a  very  serious  and  attentive  considera- 
tion to  the  remedy  proposed  for  them. 

4.  I  was  greatly  struck  by  the  Scripture  account  of  the  nature 
or  essence  of  sin.  Other  codes  and  systems  content  themselves  with 
reprobating  a  few  of  its  exterior  indications:  the  Bible  goes  straight 
to  the  heart,  and  drags  its  hidden  motives  to  the  light:  other  sys- 
tems make  the  essence  of  sin  to  consist  in  the  violation  of  our 
duties  to  man ;  the  Bible  makes  it  consist  in  the  violation  of  our 
duty  to  God.  These  speak  of  the  neglect  of  human — or  natural 
laws  and  rights  ;  the  Bible  allows  of  no  law  but  the  law  of  God — 
*  Cor.  iii.  5.  f  Jer.  iv.  22. 


268  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

no  right  but  the  right  which  God  has  in  us  as  his  creatures.  It  tells 
us  tiiat  ail  sin  is  comprised  in  our  aHenation  from  Him  in  whom  all 
subordinate  duties  and  relations  centre.  "Thou  shall  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  loith  all  thine  hearth  This  is  the  first  and  great 
commandment.  "  Thou  shall  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  is  the 
second  ;  like  unto  the  first,  dependent  on  it,  naturally  and  necessa- 
rily flowing  from  it.*  To  violate  the  first  and  great  command,  this 
is  sin.  To  violate  the  second  is  the  inevitable  consequence  of 
breaking  the  first ;  for  no  one  ever  yet  hated  his  brother,  who  did 
not  first  hate  God.  "  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God."t 
This  is  the  deadly  root  whence  every  lesser  abomination  proceeds. 
All  that  human  ingenuity  has  ever  effected,  has  been  to  lop  ofT 
some  of  the  minor  branches,  to  prune  a  few  excrescences,  but  which 
have  immediately  sprouted  fortir  with  redoubled  vigor.  Tiie  Bible 
lays  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the  tree.  The  catalogue  of  our  crimes 
always  begins  with  this  danniing  article,  and  is  usually  summed  up 
in  it — "  In  transgression  and  lying  against  the  Lord,  and  departing 
from  our  God  ;"+  this  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  our  offence. 
This  separates  between  us  and  God  :  this  has  brought  the  curse 
into  every  one  of  our  dwellings.  Other  sins  are  but  the  puny  off- 
spring of  this  horrid  and  unnatural  progenitor. 

The  Bible  statement  is  the  only  one  in  the  least  consonant  with 
unbiassed  reason  and  sound  sense.  For  if  there  be  a  God  at  all, 
he  must  have  a  greater  right  in  his  creatures  than  any  other  being 
can  possibly  have.  To  serve  and  love  him  supremely  must  be  that 
law,  which  alone  deserves  to  be  called  the  law  of  nature  ;  and  if 
men  universally  love  and  delight  in  any  thing  else  more  than  in 
him,  they  stand  universally  condemned  of  living  in  a  state  of  con- 
trariety to  the  law  of  nature  :  that  is,  they  frustrate  the  true  end 
of  their  nature  ;  they  are  guilty  of  that  unnatural  dereliction  from 
duly,  which  constitutes  the  essence  and  malignity  of  sin. 

5.  The  Scripture  remedy  for  sin  and  all  the  evils  it  has  brought 
in  its  train,  was  so  consummately  adapted  to  my  necessities,  that 
this  circumstance  would  have  alone  sufficed  to  rivet  my  attention. 
Sensible  that  I  was  in  a  state  of  alienation  from  God,  I  was  afraid 
of  his  just  vengeance,  and  yet  more  afraid,  that  in  pardoning  sin 
he  shoultl  prove  a  weak  and  unjust  being  like  myself  If  I  rejected 
the  idea  of  an  angry  God,  an  unholy  God  seemed  my  only  alterna- 
tive. I  saw  not  how  infinite  compassion  itself  could  save  me,  but 
at  the  expense  of  infinite  justice  and  purity.  Those  only  who 
have  known  the  agony  of  feeling  themselves  condemned  by  God 
and  their  own  conscience,  can  comprehend  the  joy  with  which  I 
hailed  the  glad  tidings,  "that  God  can  be  just  and  yet  the  Justifier 
of  him  who  believeth  in  Jesus."§  My  wretched  and  unnatural 
state  with  regard  to  God,  consisted  in  three  particulars.  I  was 
ignorant  of  God — averse  from  God — and  afraid  of  God.  Jesus 
Christ  revealed  the  Father  to  me— took   away  the  enmity — and 

*  Matt.  xxii.  37—39.  t  Rom.  viii.  6. 

X  Isaiah  lix.  13.  %  Rom.  hi.  25,  26. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  269 

opened  a  wa}^  of  access  with  boldness  and  confidence.  I  under- 
stood how  "  God  was  in  Christ,  leconciHng  the  world  unto  himself, 
not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them."*  O  the  depth,  the  wis- 
dom, the  iiarmony  of  my  Father's  counsels,  as  "  the  Spirit  took  of 
them"  for  Christ's  sake,  '-and  showed  them  unto  me  !"  O  the  ex- 
ceeding glory  and  excellency  of  my  Father's  character,  as  I  studied 
it  in  him,  '•  who  is  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  image,  in  whom 
dwelleih  all  the  fulness  in  tlie  Godhead  bodily  !"t  Then  I  per- 
ceived how  the  doctrine  of  "  the  cross,  while  to  some  it  is  a  stum- 
bling block,  and  to  others  foolishness,  is  nevertheless  to  those  who 
are  saved,  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God."t  In  the  in- 
carnation, life,  death,  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  beheld  the 
love  of  God  manifested,  his  law  exalted,  his  justice  satisfied,  and 
my  salvation  complete.  I  knew  by  my  own  joyful  experience, 
"  that  God  has  given  unto  us  eternal  life,  and  that  this  life  is  in  his 
Son."§ 

Poor  infidel,  whoever  thou  art.  my  brother  or  sister  in  sin  and 
misfortune  !  cast  not  these  pages  from  thee  as  the  ravings  of  en- 
thusiasm. Scoff  at  them  I  know  thou  wilt,  unless  the  Spirit  of 
God  arrest  thy  heart  as  he  did  mine.  But  remember  that  they  are 
written  by  one  who  once  held  the  same  sentiments  with  thyself. 
Consider  that  so  wonderful  a  revolution  in  these  sentiments  could 
not  have  been  effected,  and  persisted  in,  without  some  reasons  for 
such  a  change.  I  have  told  thee  how  I  came  to  the  knowledge  of 
what  I  believe  to  be  the  truth.  The  experiment  I  made  use  of  was 
simple  and  easy,  and  in  my  case  conclusive.  Would  it  not  be  more 
candid  on  thy  part  to  try  the  same  test,  than  to  scoff  at  what  thou 
hast  not  tried  /  All  I  ask,  is,  that  when  any  thing  I  say  appears 
mystical  or  extravagant,  thou  would'st  try  for  thyself,  whether  a 
persevering  use  of  "  the  Test  of  Truth"  may  not  make  it  appear 
plain  and  reasonable. 

The  grand  difference  which  I  found  between  the  remedy  offered 
by  the  Bible,  and  that  of  every  other  religion  in  the  world,  was  this. 
They  all  hold  out  to  us  insufiicient  motives  for  action,  and  direct  us 
to  an  insufficient  source  of  strength.  The  motive  of  our  virtue,  is 
to  be  self-esteem  or  the  applause  of  others.  Our  strength  is  to  be 
derived  from  our  own  resolutions  or  reasonings  The  Bible,  on  the 
contrary,  forbids  us  to  think  highly  of  ourselves,  or  to  "receive 
honor  one  of  anotiier :"  it  commands  us  to  "seek  the  honor  which 
cometh  of  God  only.'',!  The  love  of  our  reconciled  God  in  Christ 
Jesus,  sweetly  rekindling  our  long  extinguished  affections  to  him,  is 
to  be  the  motive  of  all  our  actions.  Now  this  motive  will  last  as 
long  as  the  love  of  God  lasts  ;  that  is,  to  all  eternity.  Human  mo- 
tives are  perishable.  The  praise  we  so  eagerly  covet,  disappoints 
our  expectation  when  it  is  obtained.  And  what  self-esteem  can 
quiet  a  wounded  conscience  7  Besides,  the  Bible  motive  is  worthy 
of  a  rational  being.     Human  motives  are  such,  that  those  who  are 

•*  2  Cor.  V.  19.  t  Heb  i.  .3.     Col.  ii.  9.  i  Cor.  i.  22,  24. 

§   1  John  V.  11.  II  Rom.  xii.  3,  10.     Phil.  ii.  3.     John.  v.  44. 


270  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

most  influenced  by  them,  are  ashamed  to  own  them.  Love,  divine 
love,  purities,  and  ennobles,  and  satisfies  the  soul:  it  makes  the 
source  of  action  pure,  and  then  the  actions  themselves  must  be  so. 
Human  motives  debase  the  soul,  and  render  it  mean  and  selfisli ; 
they  must  in  the  end  prove  unsatisfactory  :  ihey  pollute  the  source 
of  actions,  and  make  men  like  painted  sepulchres,  fair  without,  but 
hollow  and  rotten  within.  And  as  for  strength,  while  the  Bible  as- 
sures us  that  all  human  elfcMts  and  resolutions  are  frail  as  the 
bruised  reed,  and  transitory  as  the  morning  dew  ;  it  informs  us  that 
"the  grace  of  Jesus  is  sufficient  for  us,"  and  that  we  "can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  us."*  I  applied  for  this 
grace  and  this  strength.     I  did  not  apply  in  vain. 

One  peculiarity  in  the  Scripture  remedy  struck  me  as  very  re- 
markable. This  was  the  pains  taken  to  pour  contempt  upon  all 
human  pride  and  glory.  As  we  fell  by  pride  and  independence,  we 
must  be  restored  by  humility  and  dependence.  The  Scriptures 
leave  us  not  one  single  thing  in  ourselves  whereof  to  glory.  The 
"  wise  man  must  not  glory  in  his  wisdom,  nor  the  strong  man  in  his 
might,  nor  the  rich  man  in  his  riches. "t  All  boasting  is  forever  ex- 
cluded. If  we  come  to  God,  it  must  be  as  sinners  tluough  Christ. 
If  we  receive  heaven,  it  must  be  as  the  purchase  of  Christ's  mer- 
its, not  of  our  own  deservings.  From  first  to  last,  the  Christian  is 
taught  to  say, — "  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  luito  thy 
name  give  glory. "+ 

6.  During  this  reading,  I  discovered  the  reason,  which  had  so 
long  prevented  me  from  receiving  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and 
from  finding  in  the  Scriptures  those  treasures  of  wisdom  and  glad- 
ness which  they  contain.  "They  that  be  whole,"  says  this  divine 
philosophy,  "  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick."§  So 
long  as  I  knew  not  that  my  soul  was  altogether  infected  with  the 
dreadful  malady  of  sin,  it  was  not  possible  for  me  to  appreciate  His 
love,  who  came  to  save  me  from  my  sins.  But  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  taught  me  that  I  was  utterly  undone  and  unclean,  then  the 
knowledge  of  Him  who  "is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost,"  and 
whose  "blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin,"  became  the  only  cordial  which 
could  relieve  my  fainting  spirits.  From  that  moment  I  ceased  to 
stumble  at  the  doctrine  of  the  cross.  I  was  a  sinner,  I  wanted  a 
Saviour.  In  Jesus  Christ  I  found  all  my  wants  satisfied.  I  fled 
for  refuge  to  this  hope,  which  had  been  thus  unexpectedly  set  be- 
fore me.  Into  his  hands  I  have  committed  my  spirit,  and  I  know 
"  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  to  him."i! 
Thus  will  you,  when  God  shows  you  that  you  are  vile  and  con- 
denmed  and  hateful  in  his  sight,  experience  the  sweetness  of  the 
name  of  Jesus. 

7.  The  Scriptures  afford  me  a  clue  to  many  things  which  have 
embarrassed  the  most  penetrating  understandings.  One  of  these 
things  was  the  reason,  why  it  happens  that  this  book  appears  full 

♦  1   Cor.  xii.  9.     Phil.  iv.  13.  t  Jer.  ix.  23.  \  Psalm  cxv.  1.    « 

^  Matt.  ix.  1'2.  11  2  Tim.  i.  13. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  271 

of  absurdities  if  not  contradictions  to  an  unconverted  person;  while 
the  believer  views  it  as  a  glorious  whole,  all  whose  parts  are  in  per- 
fect unison,  and  which  explain  and  illustrate  each  other.  And  this 
is  the  reason : — "  the  natural  man  understandeth  not  the  things  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  for  they  are  foolishness  to  him;  neither  can  he 
know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned."  "  For  the  god 
of  this  world  hath  blinded  the  minds  of  fhem  that  believe  not,  lest 
the  glorious  Gospel  of  Christ  should  shine  unto  them."*  The  doc- 
trines of  Scripture,  which  had  before  appeared  to  me  an  inexplica- 
ble mass  of  confusion  and  contradictions,  were  now  written  on  my 
understanding  with  the  clearness  of  a  sunbeam.  For,  saith  the 
same  Scripture.  "God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of 
darkness,  hath  shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.''! 

Above  all,  that  once  abhorred  doctrine  of  the  divinity  of  Christ, 
was  now  become  exceeding  precious  to  me.  From  my  inmost  soul 
I  recognized  Jesus  as  my  Lord  and  my  God.  Of  this  change  in 
my  views  I  also  found  an  account  in  Scripture.  "No  man  can 
say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost. "t  Nominal 
Christians  may  indeed  call  him  Lord,  Lord,  with  their  lips,  and 
in  the  externals  of  a  formal  devotion  ;  but  their  hearts  cannot 
go  along  with  tlieir  professions,  until  the  Spirit  of  God  convince 
them. 

I  was  sensible  that  a  vast  revolution  had  been  effected  in  my 
temper,  views,  and  dispositions.  For  this  I  should  have  been  at  a 
loss  to  account,  had  not  the  same  Bible  furnished  me  with  a  solution 
of  the  mystery.  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  new  crea- 
ture :  old  things  are  passed  away  ;  behold,  all  things  arc  become 
neio.'"^ 

The  external  evidences  of  Christianity,  though  I  now  perceived 
all  their  force,  were  no  longer  necessary  to  my  conviction.  I  need 
no  proofs  to  convince  me  that  the  sun  is  shining  at  midday.  I 
needed  none  to  convince  me  that  the  love  of  my  reconciled  God  and 
Father  was  shining  full  upon  my  soul,  with  an  enlightening,  puri- 
fying, and  vivifying  intluence.  When  objections  assailed  me,  I 
found  myself  much  in  the  situation  of  the  man  who  opposed  to  all 
the  cavils  of  the  Jews  this  simple,  yet  irresistible  answer ; — "  Whe- 
ther these  things  be  as  ye  say,  I  know  not : — one  thing  I  know ^ — 
whereas  I  was  blind,  now  /5ee."ll 

Having  formed  my  opinions  solely  by  the  word  of  God,  my  at- 
tention was  naturally  attracted  by  the  various  sects  of  Christianity, 
with  which  this  land  of  toleration  abounds.  I  belonged  to  the  Es- 
tablished Church,  and  found  every  reason  to  continue  within  her 
walls.  But  in  every  sect,  which  took  the  pure,  unadulterated  Bible 
for  its  standard,  I  perceived  a  small  number  of  persons  who  desired 
no  other  happiness  than  the  love  of  God.  These,  I  observed,  to 
whatever  denomination  they  belonged,  loved   and  understood  one 

*  I  Cor.  ii.  14.     2  Cor.  iv.  4.  t  1  ^"r-  i^-  6.  %  I^'^-  ^"-  3- 

%  2  Cor.  V.  17.  II  John  x.  25. 


272  THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH. 

another,  but  were  often  hated  and  misconstrued  by  the  rest  of  man- 
kind. If  they  dififered  as  to  some  points  of  minor  importance,  they 
were,  however,  unanimous  upon  the  grand  essentials  of  religion. 
In  this  one  point,  especially,  I  found  them  to  be  all  perfectly  agreed 
among  themselves,  and  perfectly  opposed  to  all  other  men  : — they, 
with  one  consent,  ascribed  to  Jesus  the  whole  glory  of  their  salvation, 
acknowledging  no  merit  in  themselves  which  could  possibly  interest 
God  in  theii-  favor. 

At  the  same  time  I  could  not  help  perceiving,  that  in  every  per- 
suasion (my  own  not  excepted)  the  majority  were  Chrisiians  only 
in  name,  and  in  reality  believed  in  God.  no  more  than  the  professed 
freetliinker  believes  in  him.  For  this  one  thing  iscertain.  If  they 
did  really  believe  in  the  Bible,  they  would  be  more  intent  upon  es- 
caping the  threatenings  and  gaining  the  promises  of  the  Bible,  than 
they  are  upon  the  riches,  honor,  pleasures  or  learning  of  this  world. 
But  the  contrary  is  the  fact.  They  are  more  intent  upon  the  riches, 
honor,  pleasures,  or  learning  of  this  world,  than  upon  escaping  the 
threatenings,  or  gaining  the  promises  of  the  Bible.  Therefore, 
they  do  not  believe  the  threatenings  or  promises  of  the  Bible.  If 
they  believed  them,  they  would  act  upon  them.  By  not  acting 
upon  them,  they  prove  that  they  do  not  believe  them.  To  believe 
really  in  God  is  to  be  convinced  that  he  is  something  better  than 
the  world,  and  better  than  self  It  implies,  therefore,  a  hearty  and 
entire  renunciation  of  the  world  and  self;  and  a  hearty  and  en- 
tire devotion  of  ourselves  to  God,  as  to  something  incomparably 
better. 

The  few  then,  of  every  Christian  denomination,  I  recognized  as 
members  of  the  true  Church  of  Christ.  At  first  the  small  number 
of  real  Christians  perplexed  me,  and  I  anxiously  exclaimed.  Are 
there  so  few  that  be  saved  ?  But  I  remembered  that  even  this  cir- 
cumstance added  its  testimony  to  the  veracity  of  the  Scripture 
statement,  which  always  represents  the  Church  of  Christ  as  a  little 
flock,*  exposed  to  the  hatred  and  derision  of  the  larger  portion  of 
mankind,  who  should  contir.ue  obstinate  in  their  monstrous  rebel- 
lion, against  the  Most  High.  Besides  this,  when  I  reflected  on  the 
mightiness  of  the  change  which  must  take  place  in  every  sinner's 
heart  before  he  could  sincerely  love  God,  and  the  necessity  of  his 
submitting  to  be  viewed  with  contempt  and  disgust  by  many  who 
before  had  loved  and  courted  him,  I  rather  marvelled  at  the  mira- 
cle of  divine  grace,  by  which  any  are  saved,  than  inquired,  why 
so  few  ?  But  I  found  from  the  prophetic  writings  that  the  number 
of  Christ's  enemies  shall  not  always  exceed  that  of  his  friends. 
The  time  is  not  far  distant,  when  "  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with 
the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea."t 

I    have  endeavored  briefly  to  recapitulate    the  chief  reflections 

which  occurred  to  me  while  I  was  reading  the  Bible,  with  the  help 

(as  I  verily  believe)  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus.     From  that  time  I  have 

continued  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  to  hear  his  word  :  taking 

*  Luke  xij.  3"2.  t  Isaiah  xi.  9. 


THE    TEST    OF    TRUTH.  273 

him  for  my  Teacher  and  Guide  in  things  temporal  as  well  as  spir- 
itual. He  has  found  in  me  a  disciple  so  slow  of  comprehension,  so 
prone  to  forget  his  lessons,  and  to  act  in  opposition  to  his  commands, 
that  were  he  not  infinitely  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  he  would  long 
ago  have  <5ast  me  oft'  in  anger.  But  he  still  continues  to  bear  with 
me,  and  to  give  me  line  upon  line  and  precept  upon  precept.  And 
I  am  certain  that  he  will  never  leave  me  nor  forsake  me  ;  for  though 
I  am  variable  and  inconstant,  "  with  him  there  is  no  variableness, 
neither  sliadow  of  turning."* 

In  narrating  the  means  by  which  I  was  drawn  forth  out  of  the 
horrible  abyss  of  infidelity,  my  design  has  been  to  give  some  idea 
of  the  process  which  must  take  place  in  every  sinner's  heart,  before 
he  can  know  or  desire  to  know  the  God  who  gave  him  being.  And 
thus  it  must  be  with  you.  You  must  be  roused  to  a  lively  sense 
of  the  importance  of  knowing  God  ;— must  be  convinced  that  you 
have  hitherto  lived  in  a  state  of  blindness  and  enmity  against 
him : — you  must  learn  that  all  your  fancied  wisdom  is  mere  folly 
in  his  sight;  and  must  be  ready  to  receive  the  truth  as  God  is 
pleased  to  reveal  it.  Instead  of  insolently  dictating  the  way  in 
which  God  shall  deal  with  his  offending  creature,  you  must  lay 
down  the  arms  of  your  rebellion,  and  accept  of  pardon  and  peace 
upon  his  terms.  When  these  dispositions  are  wrought  in  your 
heart  (and  they  can  be  wrought  only  by  a  Divine  Power),  then  the 
Lord  will  reveal  Himself  to  you,  show  you  the  truth  of  His  Ever- 
lasting Gospel,  and  bring  the  salvation  of  Jesus  home  to  your 
heart.  I  ask  you  not  to  believe  any  thing  upon  my  word.  That 
were  indeed  foolish,  when  you  cannot  take  it  upon  God's  word. 
But  I  beseech  you  to  make  trial  of  God's  word.  Reject  it  not  till 
you  have  put  it  to  the  test  I  have  proposed  to  you.  Examine  thus 
for  yourselves.  Know  whether  the  God  of  Scripture  be  as  he  is 
there  styled,  '-the  God  who  heareth  prayer."  And  we,  who  "have 
tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,"  will  not  cease  to  pray  for  you,  that 
"  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  Glory,  may  give 
unto  you  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation  in  the  knowledge  of 
him :  the  eyes  of  your  understanding  being  enlightened,  that  ye 
may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  and  what  the  riches  of 
the  glory  of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints  ;  and  what  is  the  exceed- 
ing greatness  of  his  power  to  us-ward  who  believe,  according  to 
the  working  of  His  Mighty  Power."     Amen. — Eph.  i.  17 — 19. 

*  James  i.  17. 
18 


JUSTIFYING  AND  ELECTING  GRACE. 


THE   FREENESS   AND   SOVEREIGNTY   OF    GOD'S 
JUSTIFYING  AND  ELECTING  GRACE. 


BY    MARY    JANE    GRAHAM, 

LATE    OF    STOKE    FLEMING,    DEVON. 


PREFACE. 


Many  plain  persons,  who  have  not  time  to  read  long  treatises, 
or  to  enter  into  the  intricacies  of  controversy,  entertain  doubts 
upon  some  of  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  and  suffer  those 
doubts  to  remain  unsatisfied,  either  because  they  deem  the  sub- 
ject unprofitable,  or  think  they  have  not  time  for  its  investigation. 
No  subject,  however,  can  justly  be  deemed  unprofitable,  a  right 
knov/ledge  of  which  is  essential  either  to  our  eternal  salvation,  or 
to  the  comfort  and  consistency  of  our  Christian  walk. 

I  believe  the  doctrine  of  free  justifying  grace  to  belong  to  the 
former  class  of  subjects  ;  that  of  sovereign  electing  grace  to  the 
latter.  Every  person  who  has  time  to  read  his  Bible,  and  to  pray 
over  it,  may  obtain  a  clear  and  experimental  knowledge  of  these 
truths ;  and  to  assist  him  in  doing  so,  is  the  object  of  the  follow- 
ing pages.  And  for  the  comfort  of  those  who  are  members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  the  Author  has,  on  every  subject,  brought 
the  words  of  that  church  forward  to  prove  how  strictly  they  agree 
with  the  Scripture  statement  of  that  subject.  Not  that  any  sin- 
gle doctrine  can  be  either  proved  or  disproved  from  the  Service 
and  Articles  of  our  Church,  but  that  having  examined  the  doctrine 
by  Scripture,  it  is  satisfactory  to  find  our  Church  bearing  her  tes- 
timony to  the  truth  of  what  the  Scripture  says. 

May  the  Lord  the  Spirit,  without  whom  not  one  good  word 
can  be  written  or  read  to  any  good  purpose,  bless  both  the  writer 
and  reader  of  this  little  treatise,  with  such  a  spiritual  understand- 
ing of  His  word,  as  may  enable  them,  with  one  mind  and  one 
mouth,  to  glorify  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Amen. 


THE    FEEENESS,   ETC. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ON    ORIGINAL    SIN. 


An  obscure  or  imperfect  view  of  one  doctrine  often  leads  to  the 
rejection  of  another.  Thus  I  have  always  found,  that  those  who 
conscientiously  reject  the  doctrine  of  election,  do  so  from  an  inabil- 
ity to  take  into  the  account,  the  absolutely  free  and  unconditional 
nature  of  God's  grace  in  pardoning  sinners ;  and  I  believe  the  clear- 
ness of  our  views  of  this  latter  doctrine  to  be,  in  most  cases,  com- 
mensurate with  our  deep  and  abiding  conviction  of  man's  utter  and 
original  depravity. 

This  may  happen  to  real  Christians.  A  person  may  see  enough 
of  the  sin  of  his  heart  and  life,  to  come  heartily  to  Christ  for  salva- 
tion, and  yet  he  may  not  be  so  deeply  convinced  of  his  entire  ruin 
in  the  fall,  and  of  the  desperate  wickedness  and  utter  helplessness 
of  his  nature  from  the  very  womb,  as  to  perceive  the  justice,  or  even 
the  necessity  of  the  doctrine  of  election. 

Yet  a  very  clear  conviction  of  our  natural  enmity  against  God, 
and  of  our  entire  inability  to  seek  or  to  choose  any  thing  that  is 
good,  plainly  involves  with  it  a  conviction  that  if  we  love  God,  it 
must  be  because  he  first  loved  us  ;  that  if  we  choose  Christ  and 
his  ways  at  all,  it  can  be  ascribed  to  no  other  cause  than  that  he 
first  chose  us,— or  in  other  words,  that  we  are  elect,  according  to 
the  foreknowledge  of  God. 

Such  being  my  view  of  the  case,  I  entreat  my  reader's  attention 
while  I  say  a  few  words  on  the  doctrine  of  original  sin.  It  is  the 
very  first  lesson  in  the  school  of  Christ ;  and  it  is  only  by  being 
well  rooted  and  grounded  in  these  first  principles,  that  we  can  hope 
to  go  on  to  perfection.  The  doctrine  is  written  in  Scripture  as  with 
a  sunbeam.  If  we  do  not  feel  some  conviction  of  it  in  our  own 
hearts,  it  affords  a  sad  proof  that  we  still  belong  to  that  "genera- 
tion that  is  pure  in  their  own  eyes,  and  yet  is  not  washed  from  their 
filthiness."*  "All  the  ways  of  a  man  are  clean  in  his  own  eyes, 
but  the  Lord  weigheth  the  spirits."!  With  Him  a  high  look,  and 
a  proud  heart,  an  idle  word,  and  a  light  thought  is  sin.  His  law 
♦  Prov.  XIX.  12.  t  Ibid.  xvi.  3, 


280  ON    ORIGINAL    SIN. 

is  spiritual,  reacliin*^  to  every  thought  and  intent  of  the  heart. — 
"  Whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one  point, 
he  is  guilty  of  all."* 

If  then  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  make  God  a  Uar ;  but 
if  we  allow  that  we  sin  at  all,  then  must  we  allow  that  our  whole 
nature  is  sinful  and  corrupt.  At  least  our  Saviour  thought  so. 
He  declares  that  corrupt  fruit  only  can  come  from  a  corrupt  tree: 
corrupt  doings  of  a  corrupt  nature.  "A  good  tree  cannot  bring 
forth  evil  fruit,  neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit."t 
As  if  our  blessed  Saviour  had  said:  "  Be  consistent;  either  say  at 
once  that  ye  know  no  sin,  or  if  indeed  conscience  witnesses  that 
ye  do  sin  every  day.  and  every  hour  of  your  lives,  then  confess 
that  your  corrupt  doings  proceed  from  a  nature  inherently  corrupt. 
If  your  nature  were  a  good,  a  holy  nature,  it  could  not  be  thus 
continually  putting  forth  the  evd  fruit  of  unholy  actions.  The 
clusters  that  bow  down  the  branches  of  the  vine  may  become  less 
luxuriant,  but  slill  they  are  grapes ;  no  change  of  season  or  of  cli- 
mate can  cause  it  to  teem  with  the  unsightly  fruit  of  the  bramble, 
or  the  tasteless  berries  of  the  thorn.  Look  then  no  longer  for  any 
thin?  good  in  yourselves  ;  it  is  to  look  for  grapes  on  thorns,  or  figs 
on  thistles.  Once  I  had  planted  you  a  noble  vine,  wholly  a  right 
seed;  but  now  are  ye  turned  to  the  degenerate  plant  of  a  strange 
vine  unto  me.  The  parent  stock  became  corrupt,  and  spread  cor- 
ruption through  all  its  branches.  One  only  hope  remains  for  you. 
Confess  your  sin  and  misery,  and  seek  to  be  grafted,  contrary  to  na- 
ture, into  me  the  true  vine:  thus  abiding  in  me,  and  I  in  you,  ye 
who  in  yourselves  can  do  nothing,  shall  in  me  bear  much  and 
good  fruit.'  Ths  fountain  of  humanity  has  been  poisoned  at  its 
very  head,  and  will  bring  forth  nothing  but  pollution  :  "  the  heart 
is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked  ;■'+  out  of  it 
flow,  as  from  their  natural  source,  evil  thoughts,  adulteries,  mur- 
ders, and  all  that  train  of  corruptions  mentioned  by  our  Lord  in 
Mark  vii.  21,  22.  '=  Good  Master,  what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life?  Why  callest  thou  me  good?  There  is  none  good  but  one, 
that  is  God"."5  These  words'of  our  Lord  again  seem  to  imply,  '  Be 
consistent ;  either  admit  that  I  am  God,  or  if  ye  will  liave  it  that 
I  am  but  a  mere  man  like  yourself,  then  ascribe  no  goodness  to  me  ; 
for  know,  that  in  man  dwelleth  no  good  thing.  "  Suppose  ye  that 
these  Gilileans  were  sinners  above  all  the  Galileans  because  they 
suffered  such  things?  I  tell  you  nay;  but  except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likewise  perish."  'II  "  That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is 
flesh. 1  They  that  are  in  the  flesh  cannot  please  God."**  Why  so? 
Because  "  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God,  for  it  is  not  sub- 
ject to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be."tt  O  how  the  very 
opinions  of  men  on  this  subject  prove  the  depth  of  their  blindness 
and  perversencss :  that  they  will  persist  in  saying,  "  I  am  rich  and 

*  James  ii.  10.  t  Matt.  vii.  18.  :|:  Jer.  xvii,  9. 

^  Mark.  x.  17.  H  Luke  xiii.  2,  3.  TT  John  iii.  6. 

**  Rom.  viii.  8.  It  IljiJ-  ^i"-  7. 


ON    ORIGINAL    SIN.  281 

increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing:"  when  he  who 
tried  the  heart,  and  reins  has  affirmed  of  tlieiii,  that  tliey  are 
'•  wretclied,  and  poor,  and  miserable,  and  bhnd,  and  naked."* 

The  Scripture  history  of  man  opens  with  these  words,  -  And 
God  said,  let  us  make  man  in  our  own  image,  after  our  likeness. 
So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image;  in  the  image  of  God  cre- 
ated he  him.''t  "  God  is  a  Spirit ;"+  it  must,  therefore,  have  been 
in  his  spiritual  image  that  man  was  created.  In  holiness,  in  happi- 
ness, in  knowledge,  such  as  become  his  state, — in  these  things  man 
resemblefl  his  Maker. 

Now,  it  is  very  remarkable,  that  after  the  fall,  we  are  expressly 
told,  that  "Adam  begat  a  son  in  his  own  likeness  after  his  image,''i' 
that  is,  as  unlike  the  original  holy  image  of  God  as  darkness  is  to 
light,  or  corruption  to  incorruption.  For  would  we  ascertain  from 
the  mouth  of  God  himself,  what,  man  was  then  like,  let  us  go  a 
chapter  or  two  further,  and  we  shall  find  the  Lord  looking  down 
upon  his  ruined  creation,  upon  those  things  which  his  hand  made, 
and  which  he  had  once  pronounced  to  be  very  good. 

Now  '•  God  looked  upon  the  earth,  and  behold  it  was  corrupt; 
for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  his  way  upon  the  earth  :||  and  God  saw 
that  the  wickedness  of  man  was  great  in  the  earth,  and  that  every 
imagination  of  the  thought  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continually. ''*1[ 
Can  the  Spirit  of  truth  testify  of  our  character  in  plainer  or  in 
stronger  terms. 

But  lest  those  who  resist  even  the  Spirit  when  his  words  would 
convince  them  of  sin,  should  object  that  this  description  is  only  ap- 
plied to  the  wicked  generation  that  was  swept  away  by  the  flood, 
God  has  provided  against  this  subterfuge. 

The  windows  of  heaven  are  stopped  ;  the  rain  from  heaven  is 
restrained  ;  the  waters  return  from  off  the  earth  ;  and  the  ark  rests 
upon  the  mountains  of  Ararat.  Eight  chosen  persons,  the  remains 
of  the  once  countless  multitude,  come  forth  from  this  hiding-place 
of  the  Lord's  providing,  and  join  together  in  a  sacrifice  of  thanks- 
giving, which  rises  up  as  a  sweet-smelling  savor  before  God.**  Let 
us  pause  a  moment  to  see  what  we  can  collect  from  Scripture  con- 
cerning the  persons  who  knelt  around  the  family  aliar.  One  of 
them  is  cited  as  a  j)attern  of  holiness  throughout  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  We  learn  but  little  of  his  three  sons:  yet  an  act  of 
filial  piety  is  recorded  of  two  of  them  which,  together  with  the  bless- 
ing of  their  inspired  father,  mark  them,  in  our  esteem,  for  holy 
men.  Nothing  is  told  us  concerning  their  wives  :  yet  we  may  not 
unfairly  suppose,  that  out  of  this  little  female  remnant  there  would 
be  some  who,  like  their  husbands  and  father,  walked  with  God. 
So  that  we  have  here  eight  persons,  of  whom  we  know  that  three 
were  good ;  and  we  know  only  of  one  who  was  wicked.  Now  it 
was  upon  this  very  Gccasiou  in  which  the  sweet  savor  of  this  very 
sacrifice  was  ascending  before  God,  that  he  said,  "I  will  not  again 

*  Rev.  iii.  17.  t  Gen.  i.  2.5,  27.  i  John  iv.  24.  ^  Gen.  v.  3. 

II  Ibid.  \i.  12.  U  Ibid.  vi.  5.  **  Ibid.  viii.  20,  21. 


282  ON    ORIGINAL    SIN. 

curse  the  ground  any  more  for  man's  sake ;  for  the  imagination  of 
man's  heart  is  evil  from  his  youth."*  What,  still  evil  ?  Still  does 
the  Holy  Ghost  bear  hie  testimony  against  man?  Yet  not  one  of 
all  that  rebellious  generation  remains.  Mankind  is  reduced  to  an 
exceeding  small  compass.  Never  has  the  earth  been  so  purified. 
Never  since  has  it  contained  so  select  an  assembly  as  that  which 
we  are  now  considering.  Yet  still — still  the  character  of  man  ig 
thus  given  bi/  Him  who  cayinot  lie.  '•  The  imagination  of  man's 
heart  is  evil  from  his  youth  :" — the  heart  of  the  righteous  Noah,  no 
less  than  that  of  the  ungodly  Ham:  for  had  there  been  an  excep- 
tion in  so  small  a  circle,  the  Judge  of  the  whole  earth  would  not 
have  included  them  all  in  the  same  sweeping  accusation.  More- 
over, he  declares  that  the  heart  of  man  will  be  always  evil :  for 
that  is  the  very  reason  he  gives  why  he  will  curse  the  ground  no 
more  for  man's  sake.  He  does  not  say,  '  I  will  not  do  it  again,  be- 
cause they  will  improve — their  hearts  will  grow  better ;'  but  '  I 
will  do  so  no  more,  because  the  heart  of  mail  is  evil  from  his 
youth.''  Not  all  the  waters  of  the  flood  can  wash  out  the  guilty 
stain  which  Adam  has  entailed  upon  his  children — not  all  the 
waters  of  the  flood  can  cleanse  the  earth,  so  long  as  one  of  Adam's 
sin-defiled  race  shall  remain  upon  its  surface.  And  to  this  day,  if 
we  had  no  other  witness  to  testify  against  us  that  our  hearts  are 
evil ;  yet  have  we  an  accusing  monitor  in  the  clouds,  even  the  bow 
of  the  covenant  which  God  has  set  there  for  a  sign  to  us,  that  he 
will  not  in  our  days  bring  the  waters  to  cover  the  earth  ;  because 
the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts  of  our  hearts  are  evil  —  only 
evil— evil  continually — evil  from  our  youth.  The  Hebrew  word 
rendered  imaginations  is,  as  we  learn  from  the  marginal  notes,  much 
stronger  than  the  interpretation  conveys  an  idea,  of,  since  it  signi- 
fies the  whole  intents,  purposes,  and  desires  of  the  heart. 

Would  we  know  the  reason  of  this  indellible  pollution,  which 
fallen  man  has  transmitted  to  his  latest  descendants  ?  let  that  given 
by  Scripture  suffice — "Who  can  bring  a  clean  thing  out  of  an  un- 
clean ?  not  one."t  But  is  not  the  new-born  babe  innocent?  Yes, 
from  the  commission  of  actual  sin,  but  not  from  the  pollution  of  a 
nature  altogether  sinful;  for  who  can  bring  a  clean  thing  out  of 
an  unclean?  "  Death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  all  have  sinned. "t 
Why  then  is  death  so  often  commissioned  to  snatch  away  the  babe 
in  the  first  hour  of  its  existence  ? — why,  but  because  that  babe  is  a  sin- 
ful creature  ?  Sin,  that  root  of  bitterness,  has  already  shot  its  fibres 
into  the  inmost  soul.  That  infant  "born  of  the  flesh,  is  flesh"§ 
and  "as  such  cannot  please  God"|| — cannot  bring  forth  any  other 
than  the  accursed  fruits  of  the  flesh.  As  surely  as  the  cockatrice' 
egg  will  hatch  into  a  viper,  so  surely  will  the  babe  born  of  unclean 
parents  be  itself  unclean  ; — so  surely  it  will  be  "by  nature  a  child 
of  wrath,  even  as  others."1[  And  therefore  it  is  as  the  Apostle  tells 
us,  that.  "  Death  reigneth  over  all,  even  over  all  them  that  have 

*  Gen  viii.  21.  t  Job.  xiv.  4.  if:  Rom.  v.  12. 

5  John  iii.  H  Rom.  viii.  8.  Tf  Ephes.  ii.  3. 


ON   ORIGINAL    SIN.  283 

not  sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam's  transgression."*  I  enter- 
tain not  a  doubt  that  these  little  ones  are  redeemed  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus;  but  that  they  7ieed  redemption,  that  they  are  sinners, — 
children  of  wrath  by  nature,— of  this  truth  I  am  equally  well  as- 
sured, and  every  little  mound  in  the  church-yard  seems  to  have  a 
voice  that  tells  me  so. 

The  baptism  of  infants  is  a  striking  recognition  of  their  ruined 
and  sinful  state  by  nature  ;  for  what  is  baptism  but  a  sign  of  the 
washing  away  of  the  filth  of  our  polluted  nature?  The  Church 
service  on  this,  as  well  as  most  other  points,  is  irresistibly  plain  and 
convincing.  In  the  baptism  of  infants,  the  priest  thus  begins  his 
exhortation  :  '  Dearly  beloved,  forasmuch  as  all  men  are  conceived 
and  born  in  sin ;  I  beseech  you  to  call  on  God  the  Father,  that  of 
his  bounteous  mercy,  he  may  grant  to  this  child  that  thing  which 
by  nature  he  cannot  have.'  Again,  '  We  call  upon  thee  for  this 
infant,  that  he  coming  into  thy  holy  baptism,  may  receive  remission 
of  his  sins  by  spiritual  regeneration.  O  merciful  God,  grant  that 
the  old  Adam  in  this  child  may  be  so  buried,  that  the  new  man 
may  be  raised  up  in  him.' 

Let  not  any  one  so  far  misunderstand  me  as  to  suppose  that  I 
think  baptism  is  any  thing  more  than  the  outward  sign  of  regene- 
ration, or  the  washing  away  of  the  filth  of  the  fiesh  :  though  I  be- 
lieve that  if  with  our  Church  we  carry  little  children  in  faith  to 
Jesus,  we  have  every  reason  fo  hope  that  he  will  receive  them  in 
his  arms,  and  bless  them  with  the  inward  grace.  But  my  object 
here  is  solely  to  point  out  how  our  Church  in  the  baptism  of 
infants,   acknowledges  the  doctrine  of  original  sin. 

The  Holy  Ghost  has  instructed  the  Apostle  to  give  us  such  a  full 
comment  upon  the  spiritual  death  we  all  die  in  Adam,  that  we  can- 
not too  often  read  and  pray  over  the  following  passages,  Rom.  v. 
12,  21.  1  Cor.  XV.  21,  22,  45,  49.  Ephes.  iv.  22,  24.  Col.  iii. 
9,  10;  there  are  many  others  in  which  our  nature  in  Adam  is 
spoken  of,  in  contradistinction  to  the  new  and  holy  nature  we  re- 
ceive in  Christ  Jesus.  So  essential  is  a  right  understanding  of  this 
truth,  that  until  we  receive  it,  many  of  the  most  beautiful  parts  of 
the  Church  service  must  appear  just  as  unintelligible  to  us  as  if 
they  were  written  in  an  unknown  language.  Nay,  worse  than  un- 
uitelligible,  they  must  seem  extremely  foolish  and  ridiculous.  How 
absurd  (to  an  understanding  not  convinced  of  the  original  defile- 
ment of  our  nature)  must  it  appear  to  talk  of  remitting  an  in- 
fant's sins  ;  of  causing  the  old  Adam  to  be  buried,  and  his  carnal 
affections  to  die  in  him  ;  while  all  the  time  the  hearer  thinks  that 
the  infant  as  yet  has  no  sins,  no  carnal  affectioris,— while  the 
very  existence  of  the  old  Adam,  or  original  sin,  is  doubted  by 
him  ! 

The  Scripture  is  so  full  of  testimonies  to  this  important  truth, 
that  it  seems  to  mingle  with  every  other  doctrine,  and  serves  as  a 
kind  of  master-key  to  unlock  every  other  mystery.     Take  away 

♦  Rom.  V.  14. 


284  ON    ORIGINAL    SIN. 

this,  and  the  Redeemer  loses  half  his  praise  ;  the  types  and  sacri- 
fices of  the  law  lose  half  their  significancy ;  for  they  shadow  forth 
the  sin  of  our  nature,  as  well  as  our  actual  transgressions,  and  Jesus 
came  to  deliver  us  from  the  guilt  of  our  nature,  as  well  as  from  the 
evil  of  our  lives.  Oh,  what  an  unmeaning  heap  of  words  has  been 
handed  down  to  us  by  the  law  of  Moses,  the  Psalms  of  D.iviil,  the 
confessions  of  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  Job,  Daniel,  Jeremiah,  and  the 
rest  of  God's  saints,  if  that  evil  nature  which  caused  them  to  groan 
did  not  really  exist  !  Above  all,  what  shall  we  make  of  Romans 
iii.  and  vii.  ?  What  shall  we  understand  by  the  conflict  between 
the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  between  the  old  man  and  the  new  man, 
between  the  carnal  and  spiritual  affections?  Was  St.  Paul  dream- 
ing when  he  said,  "  I  know  that  in  me,  that  is,  in  my  flesh  dwell- 
eth  no  good  thing  ?"*  Was  he  beside  himself  when  he  declared, 
"  that  he  found  in  himself  a  law,  that  when  he  would  do  good  evil 
was  present  with  him  ?"t  That  though  by  divine  grace  he  had 
learnt  "to  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man,  yet  still 
he  saw  another  law  in  his  members,  warring  against  the  law  of  his 
mind,  and  bringing  him  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin,  which  was 
in  his  members ?"t  The  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  "who  labored 
more  abundantly  than  they  all  ;"§  lie,  who  ''had  been  caught  up 
to  the  third  heaven,  and  heard  unspeakable  words  which  it  was  not 
lawful  for  him  to  utt.er"||  amongst  sinful  men;  he,  who  "counted 
all  things  but  dung  that  he  might  win  Christ  ;''^  he,  who  was  ready 
not  only  to  be  bound,  but  also  to  die  for  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  ;"**  this  chosen  vessel  of  mercy,  full  of  zeal  and  full  of  love, 
and  under  the  immediate  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Gltost,  so 
groaned  vmder  the  burden  of  the  original  corruption  of  his  nature  ; 
the  law  of  sin  warring  in  his  members  ;  that  he  was  compelled  to 
cry  out,  "  O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from 
the  body  of  this  death  ?"tt  And  frona  the  time  of  Paul  there  has 
never  been  a  real  Christian  who  has  not  often  felt  himself  con- 
strained to  adopt  his  language,  and  to  say  in  the  language  of  his 
soul,  "  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?"  The 
remed}'",  as  is  usual  in  Scripture,  follows  close  upon  the  complaint: 
"  I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.'"+t 

In  this  epistle,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  seen  peculiarly  to  fulfil  his  sacred 
office.  He  shall  convince  of  sin,  of  righteousness  and  of  justifica- 
tion. How  strong  is  the  language  in  which  he  presses  the  first  con- 
demning testimony  honae  to  our  shrinking  conscious  bosoms  !  How 
sweet  and  clear  the  second  part  of  his  testimony,  when  he  takes 
of  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  and  shows  it  to  us,  yea,  tells  us  that 
it  is  ours,  if  we  will  cease  to  go  about  to  establish  our  own  !  And 
when  he  is  fulfilling  the  third  part  of  his  mission,  with  what  trium- 
phant energy  has  he  inspired  the  Apostle  to  unfold  to  us,  how  we 
are  justified   freely  by  his  grace,   acquitted,  so  that  none  can  lay 

*  Rom.  vii.  18.  t  Ibid.  vii.  21.  ^  IbiJ.  vii.  ^,  23. 

§  1  Cor.  XV.  10.  II  Ibid.  xii.  2,  4.  IT  Phil.  iii.  8. 

*♦  Acts  xxi   13.  tt  Rom.  vii.  13.  ^  Ibid.  vii.  25. 


ON    ORIGINAL    SIN.  285 

aught  to  our  charge,  not  Satan  himself,  that  accuser  of  the  brethren  ; 
for  the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged,  Satan  bruised  under  our 
feet ! 

But  to  return  to  my  subject—"  We  have  before  proved  both  Jews 
and  Gentiles  that  they  are  all  under  sin,  as  it  is  written,  There  is 
none  righteous,  no,  not  one  :  there  is  none  that  understandeth,  there 
is  none  that  seekeih  after  God,  they  are  all  gone  out  of  the  way, 
they  are  together  become  unprofitable,  there  is  none  that  doeth 
good,  no,  not  one.  Their  throat  is  an  open  sepulchre;  with  their 
tongues  they  have  used  deceit ;  the  poison  of  asps  is  under  their 
lips;  whose  mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and  bitterness;  their  feet  are 
swift  to  shed  blood  ;  destruction  and  misery  are  in  their  ways  ;  and 
the  way  of  peace  have  they  not  known  ;  there  is  no  fear  of  God 
before  their  eyes."  Rom.  iii.  9 — 17.  Which  compare  with  Psalm 
iiii.  Now,  since  God  the  Spirit  knew  the  hearts  of  his  creatures,  and 
has  given  this  as  a  faithful  portrait  of  the  real  character  of  every 
individual  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  it  follows  that  all  have  that 
original  sin,  which  is  the  fruitful  source  of  all  evil  actions  and  dis- 
positions. 

Having  now  brought  our  testimony  from  the  "  three  that  bear 
witness  in  heaven," — having  heard  from  God  the  Father,  that  the 
imagination  of  man's  heart  is  only  evil  from  his  youth  ; — from  God 
the  Son,  that  out  of  the  heart  of  man,  come  evil  thoughts,  blasphe- 
my, pride,  foolishness  ;  that  the  corrupt  heart,  like  a  corrupt  tree,  can 
only  bring  forth  corrupt  fruit ; — and  from  God  the  Spirit,  that  the 
carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God  ;  that  in  us  dvvelleth  no  good 
thing: — let  us  now  turn  a|fein  to  the  W'ords  of  our  church,  and  see 
whether  she  has  received  from  Scripture,  this  humbling  doctrine  of 
man's  utter  depravity.  Of  original  or  birth  sin — Article  9. —  Orig- 
inal sin  standeth  not  in  the  following  of  Adam'  (as  the  Pelagians 
do  vainly  talk,)  ^'■hut  it  is  the  fault  and  corruption  of  the  nature 
of  every  man  that  naturally  is  engendered  of  the  offspring  of 
Adam,  whereby  man  is  very  far  gone  from  original  righteousness, 
and  is  of  his  oimi  nature  inclined  to  evil ;  so  that  the  flesh  lusteth 
always  contrary  to  the  spirit ;  and,  therefore,  in  every  person  born 
into  this  world,  it  deserveth  God's  wrath  and  damnation.  And  this 
infection  of  nature  doth  remain,  yea,  in  them  that  are  regenerated.' 
Of  works  before  justification — Article  13. — '  Works  done  before  i\\e 
grace  of  Christ  and  the  inspiration  of  his  Spirit,  are  not  pleasant 
to  God,  forasmuch  as  they  spring  not  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  For 
that  they  are  not  done  as  God  both  willed  and  commanded  them  to 
be  done,  we  doubt  not  but  they  have  the  nature  of  sinJ  In  the 
second  Article,  we  are  assured  that  Christ  was  a  sacrifice,  '  not  only 
for  original  guilt,  but  also  for  the  actual  sins  of  men.' 

Now  as  to  all  those  vain  and  curious  questions  which  men,  who 
would  be  wise  above  that  which  is  wMitten.  have  raised  on  the  na- 
ture and  causes  of  original  sin,  and  how  it  is  conveyed  from  Adam 
to  his  fallen  race — with  all  these  I  would  have  nothing  to  do.  All 
1  want  to  insist  upon,  is  the  doctrine  as  it  stands  in  every  part  of 


286  ON    ORIGINAL    SIN. 

the  Bible  ;  as  it  is  set  forth  in  the  articles  of  our  Church  ;  as  it  is 
exemplified  in  the  heart  of  every  individual  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth.  In  our  own  heart  we  cannot  but  find  it,  if  we  will  let  con- 
science do  its  office.  Let  then,  "  every  mouth  be  stopped,  and  all 
the  world  become  guilty  before  God."*  Let  us  pray  that  the  Spirit 
of  truth  would  convince  of  what  is  written  in  the  Word  of  Truth — 
that  he  would  make  '  the  burden  of  original  sin  grievous  and  intol- 
erable' to  us  :  for  till  we  thus  perceive  the  truth,  so  as  really  to 
groan  under  the  weight  of  our  corrupt  nature,  we  shall  not  discover 
the  necessity  of  that  new  and  holy  nature,  without  which  we  can- 
not enter  the  kingdom  of  God.  "  They  that  be  whole  need  not  a 
physician."t  They  that  be  righteous  desire  not  a  Saviour.  They 
that  acknowledge  sin  in  part,  but  not  that  they  are  wholly  de- 
praved— estranged  from  ike  womb, — these,  not  conscious  that  the 
whole  garment  is  spotted  by  the  fiesh,  will  seek  to  patch  new  clolh 
on  the  old  garment,  and  so  will  make  the  rent  worse  :  they  will  seek 
to  put  the  xiQw  wine  into  old  bottles — and  what  wonder  if  the  old 
bottles  burst,  and  the  wine  run  out,  and  the  bottles  perish?  No — 
the  whole  man  must  be  renewed  ;  and  such  as  feel  not  their  need  of 
this  thorough  renovation,  have  not  yet  made  the  first  step  towards 
the  possession  of  eternal  life.  For  how  can  we  be  alive  to  God 
without  knowing  that  we  were  once  "dead  in  sins  ?"+  How  be 
restored  to  the  Shepherd  of  our  souls,  without  knowing  that  by 
nature  we  were  as  sheep  going  astray  ?§  How  become  children  of 
grace,  and  yet  not  know  that  we  "were  by  nature  children  of 
wrath  even  as  others  ?"ll  What  should  we  think  of  the  man,  who 
was  born  blind  ;  if,  when  he  was  restored  to  sight,  he  had  professed 
to  be  ignorant  that  he  was  born  blind  ?  This  cannot  be— there- 
fore as  in  nature,  so  in  grace.  Those  who  have  been  really  con- 
verted from  a  state  of  nature,  all  join  in  their  confessions  of  that 
state.  I  was  bhnd  ;  but  now  I  see.  I  was  dead  ;  but  now  I  am 
ahve.  I  was  lost;  but  now  am  found.  Nor  do  they  think  they 
can  too  often  revive  their  sense  of  God's  goodness  and  their  own 
misery,  by  thus  looking  back  to  "the  rock  from  whence  they  were 
hewn — to  the  hole  of  the  pit  from  which  they  were  digged."1[  I 
conclude  this  subject  in  the  words  of  one  of  the  brightest  lumina- 
ries of  our  Church — he  has  been  called  the  judicious  Hooker :  had 
he  lived  in  the  present  age  a  far  different  title  would  have  been  al- 
lotted to  him  ;  for  he  is,  of  all  authors  I  ever  read,  the  most  full  and 
decisive  upon  what  are  called  Cahinistic doctrines.  'It  may  seem 
something  extreme  which  I  will  speak :  therefore  let  every  one 
judge  it  as  his  own  heart  shall  tell  him,  and  no  otherwise.  I  will 
but  only  make  a  demand, — if  God  should  yield  unto  us,  not  as  he 
did  unto  Abraham,  if  fifty,  forty,  thirty  :  yea,  or  if  ten  good  per- 
sons could  be  found  in  a  city,  for  their  sakes  this  city  should  not  be 
destroyed  :  but,  and  if  he  should  make  us  an  offer  thus  large — 
search  all  the  generations  of  men  since  the  fall  of  our  father  Adam: 

♦  Rom.  iii.  19.  t  Matthew  ix.  12.  %  Ephes.  ii.  1.  5. 

^  Isaiah  liii.  6.  U  Ephes  ii.  3.  IT  Isaiah  li.  1. 


ON   FREE    GRACE.  287 

find  one  man  that  hath  done  one  action  which  hath  passed  from 
him  pure  without  any  stain  or  blemish  at  all ;  and  for  that  one 
man's  only  action,  neither  man  nor  angels  shall  feel  the  torments 
prepared  for  both.  Do  you  think  that  this  ransom  to  deliver  men 
and  angels  could  be  found  to  be  among  the  sons  of  men?' 


C  H  A  P  T  E  R     1 1. 

ON    FREE    GRACE. 

The  principal  arguments  drawn  from  Scripture  against  the  ab- 
solute freeness  of  Divine  grace  in  pardon,  justification,  and  sancli- 
fication  of  sinners,  are  such  as  these :  that  the  threats  and  promises 
of  the  Gospel  are  usually  expressed  in  a  conditional  form  ;  and 
that  grace  is  promised  to  all  who  diligently  seek  for  it :  this 
seeking  then  becomes  a  sort  of  meritorious  act,  by  which  we  at- 
tract the  notice  or  favor  of  God,  and  induce  him  to  give  us  his 
grace.  We  will  endeavor  to  examine  each  of  these  arguments 
separately. 

And  first,  it  must  be  allowed  that  there  is  a  sense  in  which  both 
the  threats  and  promises  of  the  Gospel  are  conditional.  As  to  the 
former  of  these,  "  the  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die  :"*  "  cursed  is 
everyone  that  continueth  not  in  all  things  which  are  written  in  the 
book  of  the  law  to  do  them  :"t  "  Whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole 
law  and  yet  offend  in  one  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all."t  These  are 
some  of  the  threats  of  that  "  God  who  is  a  consuming  fire."§  And 
surely  we  have  abundantly  fulfilled  the  conditions  to  which  they 
are  attached.  Death — even  the  death  of  the  soul  is  our  well- 
earned  wages.  The  curse  isour  natural  inheritance.  We  are  born 
to  it:  for  we  are  conceived  in  sin— we  are  shapen  in  iniquity — -we 
go  astray  as  soon  as  we  are  born,  speaking  lies  :  and  every  day, 
and  every  hour,  and  every  moment,  do  we  confirm  our  right  and 
title  to  this  inheritance;  deserving,  both  by  nature  and  practice,  the 
fulfilment  of  every  one  of  the  heavy  threats  of  that  God  who  can- 
not lie.  Now  I  would  ask  what  efforts  of  our  own  can  rescue  us 
from  the  fulfilment  of  these  threatenings,  since  we  are  debtors  to 
do  the  whole  law  ?  and  if  we  offend  in  one  point,  we  are  guilty  of 
all ;  and  cursed  are  we  if  we  continue  not  in  all  things  written  in 
the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them.  We  can  but  deserve  them  over 
and  over.     O  talk  not  of  conditions — these  are  the  conditions  ! 

*  Ezekiel  xviii.  20.  -f  Gal.  iii.  10.  +  James  ii.  10. 

^  Deut.  iv.  24. 


288  ON    FREE    GRACE. 

We  have  done  our  part — have  irretrievably  ruined  ourselves.     We 
owe  ten  thousand  talents,  and  have  notJdug  to  pay  ! 

But  Christ  has  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being 
made  a  curse  for  us.  ''•  Through  this  man  is  preached  uiiio  you 
the  forgiveness  of  sins:  and  by  him  all  that  believe  are  iu.<iiried 
from  all  things.'"*  He,  and  He  only  has  borne  the  threats  of  God 
in  his  people's  stead ;  and  he  has  borne  them  so  completely  away, 
that  they  shall  never  be  inentioned  to  believers  any  more.  Their 
sins  have  been  transferred  to  .lesus.  '-He  himself  bare  them  in 
his  own  body  on  the  tree."t  Infinite  justice  has  been  appeased  by 
an  infinitely  complete  satisfaction,!:  and  now  (oh  let  us  lift  up  our 
hearts  in  gratitude  unspeakable,)  "God  can  be  just,  and  tlie  jus- 
tifier  of  him  which  believeth  in  Jesus."§  Thus  if  we  believe  in 
Jesus,  we  escape  the  threatened  curse  of  God,  not  because  ?/;e  have 
fulfilled  one  single  condition,  by  which  we  might  have  escaped  it, 
but  simply  and.  solely  because  Jesus  has  borne  the  curse  for  us. 
He  has  borne  it  all,  and  he  has  borne  it  alone.  His  almighty 
shoulders  have  sustained  the  entire  weight  of  the  curse,  one  tittle 
of  which  had  been  suflicient  to  g-rind  the  whole  human  race  to 
powder.  He  has  "blotted  out  the  hand-writing  of  ordinances  that 
was  against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us,  and  taken  it  out  of  the 
way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross."l!  And  now,  "Who  shall  lay  any 
thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God  that  justifieth.  Who 
is  he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather,  that  is 
risen  again,"*ff  thus  proving  that  all  is  paid  :  for  having  once  as 
our  Surety  taken  upon  himself  our  mighty  debt,  we  may  rest  sat- 
isfied that  justice  did  not  let  him  go  until  he  had  paid  the  uttermost 
farthing. 

Consider  the  cross  of  Christ ;  tcho  it  was  that  suffered.  "  The 
mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace."**  Hoio 
he  suffered,  "behold  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  unto  my 
sorrow."tt  Remember  that  Christ  crucified  is  "  the  wisdom  of  God 
and  the  power  of  God  ;"U  and  then  say,  would  this  might  plan  have 
been  devised  to  avert  the  curse  from  man,  if  he  had  been  able  by 
any  efforts  of  his  own  to  escape  it  ?  But  there  are  those  who  will- 
ingly allow  that  Christ  has  done  a  great  deed  towards  saving  them 
from  the  wrath  to  come  ;  but  not  that  he  has  done  all.  It  must  be 
a  kind  of  joint  concern,  in  which  he  has  engaged  to  pay  a  part,  if 
we  pay  the  rest.  His  salvation  is  regarded  as  a  sort  of  reserve  to 
make  up  deficiencies.  True.  He  died  for  us,  but  then  we  must 
merit  by  repentance,  that  his  death  be  applied  to  us  ;  we  nrust  do 
what  ?re  can  to  appease  God's  justice,  and  he  will  throw  his  blood 
into  the  scale,  to  make  up  the  rest. 

I  do  sincerely  believe  that  of  all  the  delusions- which  Satan  has 
succeeded  in  putting  into  the  hearts  of  men  ;  of  all  his  subtle  con- 

*  Acts  xiii.  38,  39.  t  1  Peter  ii^24. 

±  John  i.  7;  ii.  1,  2.  Heb.  ix.  14;  x.  12—18.  ^  Rom.  in.  20. 

il  Col  ii  14  ^  Ro'n-  viii-  33,  34.  ♦*  Isa.  ix.  6. 

tt  Lam.  'i.  12.  tX  1  ^'OX.  i.  23.  24. 


ON    FREE   GRACE.  289 

trivances  to  rob  Christ  of  liis  glory,  this  is  the  master-piece.  For 
of  Satan's  other  devices  we  are  less  ignorant,  but  this  one  often 
comes  to  iis  dressed  up  in  such  a  specious  shape,  as  to  "deceive,  if 
possible,  (he  ver}-  elect."*  Many  to  whom  the  absurdity  of  pur- 
chasing heaven  by  their  own  good  works  is  sufficiently  evident; 
who  see  tiiat  pardon  is  bought  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ; 
are  yet  capable  of  the  still  greater  absurdity  of  thinking  to  buy  that 
precious  blood  which  is  above  all  price,  witii  the  poor  imperfect 
offer  of  a  few  sighs  and  tears  which  they  call  repentance.  And 
what  is  this  repentance?  Alas!  they  have  never  repented  at  all, 
if  they  be  not  ready  from  the  heart  to  acknowledge  with  the  excel- 
lent Bishop  Beveridge — 'I  cannot  so  much  as  confess  my  sins,  but 
my  very  confessions  are  an  aggravation  of  them  ;  my  repentance 
needs  to  be  repented  of ;  my  tears  want  washing  ;  and  the  very 
washings  of  my  tears  need  to  be  washed  over  again,  in  the  blood 
of  my  Redeemer.' 

Then  let  us  freely  acknowledge  that  the  heavy  burden  of  God's 
wrath  has  been  lifted  away  only  by  the  atonement  of  Christ,  and 
not  by  any  superadded  condition  of  our  own  performing.  Christ 
has  trodden  the  wine-press  of  God's  wrath  alone,  and  of  the  people 
there  was  none  with  him.  And  as  to  repentance,  that  is  just  as 
much  the  purchase  of  his  blood,  as  heaven  itself  is.t  '*  Thou  hast 
destroyed  thyself,  but  in  me  is  thine  help,"+  is  the  language  of 
Scripture  to  all  who  are  looking  round  for  some  means  of  escape 
from  the  angry  threatenings  of  God's  word  :  some  refuge  to  which 
they  may  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

As  to  the  promises,  I  do  not  say  that  they  are  unconditional 
either,  but  I  do  say  that  the  conditions  on  which  they  depend  are 
such  as  guilty  man  is  altogether  incapable  of  performing.  I  do  say 
that  Jesus  as  our  Surety,  has  performed  all  these  for  us,  and  by 
his  Spirit  \v'\\\  perform  them  all,  t/«  us.  Through  his  perfect  atone- 
ment we  escape  the  threatenings  ;  through  his  unspotted  obedience 
we  become  heirs  of  the  promises, — heirs  of  eternal  life.  For  if  the 
blame  of  our  sins  has  been  imputed  to  Him.  then  has  the  merit  of 
His  rigiiteousness  been  imputed  to  iis.  '-If  he  has  been  made  sin 
for  us,  then  have  we  been  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."§ 
And  because  the  promises  are  ours  for  his  sake,  therefore  the  con- 
ditions of  them  are  worked  in  us  by  his  free  Spirit;  "for  it  is  not 
we  who  live  the  life  of  faith,  but  Christ  that  liveth  in  us. "II  I  am 
very  earnest  on  this  point,  because  I  believe  that  every  thing  we 
arrogate  to  ourselves  in  the  work  of  redemption,  is  just  so  much 
taken  from  the  finished  Vvork  of  Jesus.  It  is  indeed  very  natural 
to  our  carnal  minds  to  wish  to  have  something  of  our  own  to  look 
at,  to  rest  upon,  to  glory  in  ;  but  in  proportion  as  we  become  spir- 
itually minded,  we  shall  discover  that  we  have  nothing  of  our  own 
but  sin  and  misery  and  helplessness  ;  we  shall  learn  to  say,  "Not 
unto  us,  O  Tiord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory."    "  By 

*  Matt.  xxiv.  24.  f  Acts  v.  31.  X  Hosea  xiii.  9. 

§  2  Cor.  V.  21.     Rom.  iv,  G  ;  xi.  24 ;  v.  19.  Gal.  iii.  29.        II  Gal.  ii.  20.    John  xv.  4,  5. 

19 


290  ON   FREE    GRACE. 

grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith  ;  and  even  that  faith  is  not  of  our- 
selves, it  is  the  gift  of  God :  not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should 
boast."*  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death;  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eter- 
nal life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."t  Oh  then  may  we,  receiv- 
ing "  abundance  of  grace,  and  of  the  gift  of  righteousness,  reign 
in  life  by  one,  even  Jesus  Christ. + 

One  of  the  sweetest  promises,  upon  which  the  mind  of  every 
Christian  rests  with  unspeakable  delight,  runs  thus  :  "  Him  that 
cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."j  Here  is  a  condition^ 
Him  that  cometh  ;  and  a  promise,  I  will  not  cast  out.  But  who 
are  those  that  come  to  Jesus?  "All  that  the  Father  giveth  me 
shall  come  to  me.'ll  "  Ko  man  can  come  to  me  except  the  Father 
which  hath  sent  me  draw  him."!  "  No  man  can  come  to  me,  ex- 
cept it  were  given  him  of  ray  Father."**  How  distinctly  are  we  here 
told,  that  the  same  free  mercy  which  promises  to  receive  us  ivhen  we 
come,  must  be  put  forth  to  make  us  come,  or  we  never  should  come. 
The  promise  will  surely  be  fulfilled  to  all  who  obey  the  condition  ;  but 
none  ca7i  obey  the  condition,  save  those  toiohom  it  is  given.  "  If  ye 
keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love."tt  Precious 
promise  !  indispensable  condition  !  For  how  can  such  as  delight  not 
in  holiness,  abide  in  the  love  of  the  most  holy  Jesus  ?  Yet  I  will  freely 
confess,  that  if  the  performance  of  even  this  most  just  and  reason- 
able condition  depended  in  any  measure  on  myself,  I  should  think 
the  Lord  Jesus  had  most  cruelly  mocked  me,  in  setting  before  me  a 
promise  which  in  my  case  at  least,  must  forever  remain  unfulfilled. 
But  blessings  on  his  sacred  name,  he  has  not  made  the  promise 
without  providing  for  the  condition  ;  having  also  promised  to  put 
his  laws  in  my  mind,  and  write  ihem  on  my  heart.t+  So  that  I 
look  on  these  very  conditions  as  so  many  promises.  As  though 
my  Saviour  had  said,  '  Ye  shall  abide  in  my  love,  for  that  is  un- 
changeable ;  but  ye  can  by  no  means  abide  in  my  love,  except  ye 
keep  my  commandments.  Now  ye  are  not  able  to  do  this,  there- 
fore, behold  I,  even  I  will  write  them  in  your  hearts,  and  copy  them 
out  in  your  lives.  Freely  then  approach  my  throne  of  grace,  and 
ask  me  for  this  promise;  and  as  ye  cannot  so  much  as  ask  ^oith- 
out  me,  behold  I  have  promised  to  pour  out  upon  you  the  Spirit  of 
grace  and  supplications,  who  shall  abide  with  you  forever,  teaching 
you  both  what  to  pray  for,  and  how  to  pray."§§  In  short  I  believe 
the  heart  of  every  redeemed  sinner  will  enter  deeply  into  the  feel- 
ing which  burns  within  mine  while  I  say.  Thank  God,  that  the 
promises  are  not  yea  and  amen  in  vie,  a  miserable,  weak,  and  sin- 
ful worm,  incapable  of  performing  one  single  condition  of  them ; 
but  they  are  all  yea  and  amen  (o  me  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  his 
sake,  God  will  make  them  all  good  to  me  ;  yes,  for  his  sake  they 
are  mine  already.     They  are  my  own  inheritance,  once  forfeited 

*  Eph  ii.  8,  9.  t  Rom-  ^i-  23.  +  Rom.  v.  17. 

&  John  vi.  37.  II  IbiJ.  vi.  37.  IT  Ibid.  vi.  44. 

♦♦    Jolin  vi.  65.  tt  Ibid.  xv.  10.  ^  Heb.  viii.  10. 

^^  Zech.  xii.  10.  Rom.  viii.  26. 


ON   FREE    GRACE. 


291 


by  sin,  but  now  redeemed  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ ;  my 
purchased  possession,  which  can  never  cease  to  be  mine  till  (he 
price  that  was  paid  down  for  it  ceases  to  be  precious  in  the  Fa- 
ther's sight.  They  are  the  sure  and  steadfast  anchor  of  my  soul; 
the  joy  and  rejoicing  of  my  heart ;  the  song  which  enlivens  this 
house  of  my  pilgrimage  ;  better  to  me  than  life,  dearer  than  my 
necessary  food  ;  sweeter  than  honey  and  the  honeycomb  ;  more  pre- 
cious than  fine  gold  ;  purer  than  silver  purified  seven  times.  When 
my  soul  panis  after  any  of  these  most  sweet  and  tender  unsealings  of 
God's  love,  I  will  not,  I  cannot  go  to  him  and  say,  Lord,  give  me 
those  promises  because  I  have  performed  the  conditions  of  them,  and 
am  therefore  worthy  that  thou  shouldest  give  them  to  me.  God 
forbid  that  I  should  take  such  a  plea  within  my  lips,  for  in  so  doing 
my  own  heart  would  condemn  me,  and  God,  who  is  greater  than 
my  heart,  would  condemn  me.  No,  when  I  draw  near  to  my  recon- 
ciled God  and  Father,  I  will  fill  my  mouth  with  far  other  argu- 
ments than  these.  1  will  say  to  him.  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  / 
have  not  performed  the  conditions  of  these  promises,  but  Jehovah 
my  righteousness  has  fulfilled  them  all  for  me.  I  am  not  worthy 
of  the  least  of  all  thy  mercies;  but  worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain  :  and  for  his  dear  sake  thou  wilt  give  me  the  best  and  greatest 
of  them  all ;  and  that  exceeding  abundantly,  above  all  that  I  can 
ask  or  think. 

Every  condition  necessary  to  salvation  is  fulfilled  in  us,  not  by 
any  efibrts  of  our  own,  but  by  our  receiving  continually  grace  for 
grace,  out  of  the  fulness  of  Jesus.  Repentance  is  necessary,  but 
we  cannot  repent  of  ourselves;  and  therefore  Jesus  is  exalted  to 
give  repentance.*  It  behoves  us,  not  only  to  repent  of,  but  to  for- 
sake sin;  but  sooner  shall  the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin,  and  the 
leopard  his  spots,  than  we  shall  do  good,  who  are  accustomed  to  do 
evil ;  and  therefore  Jesus  is  sent  to  bless  us,  '•  in  turning  away  every 
one  of  us  from  our  iniquities."t  Faith  is  a  necessary  condition  of 
salvation:  "Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved."!  "  He  that  believeih  on  me  hath  everlasting  life  ;  he  that 
believeth  not  shall  not  see  life."§  Yet  this  same  faith  is  the  "gift 
of  God."ll  It  is  "  given  to  us  on  the  behalf  of  Christ,  to  beUeve."!' 
"  No  man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."** 
Love  is  no  less  necessary  than  faith.  "  If  any  man  love  not  the 
Lord  Jesus,  let  him  be  anathema  maran-atha."tt  But  the  "carnal 
or  natural  mind  is  enmity  against  God."U  And  how^  then  can  it  act 
so  directly  against  its  own  nature  as  to  love  Him  ?  It  is  not  only 
indifferent,  not  merely  slightly  o^i^^oseA,  but  in  its  very  nature  ab- 
solute enmity  against  God.  "  Nor  can  it  be  subject  to  the  law  of 
God  ;"§§  for  the  fulfilling  of  that  law  is  love.  Miserably  hopeless  then 
is  our  case,  if  that  heart,  which  is  thus  defined  "  enmity  against  God," 

*  Acts  V.  31.                                    f  Ibid.  iii.  26.  X  ^l'''^-  *^'-  ^l- 

^  John  vi.  47;  iii.  36.                    It  Ephes.  ii.  8.  IT  Phil.  i.  29. 

**  1  Cor.  xii.  3.     Matt.  xvi.  17.    ft  Ibid.  xvi.  22.  tt  K.om.  viiL  7. 

^§  Rom.  viii.  7. 


292  ON    FREE    GRACE. 

must  SO  overcome  the  moral  incapacity  of  its  own  nature,  as  to  fill 
itself  with  love  to  Him.  But  Jesus  has  reconciled  us  who  were 
alienated  and  enemies  in  our  own  minds  hy  wicked  works  ;  and 
for  his  sake,  "  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  to  us."*  Good  works  are  absolutely 
necessary  to  salvation  ;  "  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye 
bring  forth  much  fruit. "t  "F'aith  without  works  is  dead:  I  will 
show  thee  my  faith  by  my  works. "t  But  it  has  already  been  urged. 
that  as  the  corrupt  tree  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit,  so  neither  can 
we  who  are  evil  do  good  things.  "  Therefore  the  children  of  God 
are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,  which 
God  hath  before  ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them."§  True 
it  is,  that  we  are  commanded  to  "  work  out  our  own  salvation  with 
fear  and  trembling  ;"  but  the  reason  follows — "  for  it  is  God  that 
worketh  in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  own  good  pleasure."!!  1  have 
used  the  word  condition  in  this  place,  for  the  more  convenient  ex- 
position of  my  meaning  ;  but  I  consider  the  use  of  it,  as  applied  to  us, 
to  be  altogether  incorrect.  Faith,  love,  holiness,  (fcc.  were  indeed  to 
Christy  condilions  of  our  salvation ;  but  to  us  they  are  the  consequen- 
ces of  salvation  ;  or  rather  they  are  a  part  of  our  salvation,  pur- 
chased for  us  by  the  obedience  and  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  who 
gave  himself  for  us  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and 
purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works. ""IF 

We  find  then  in  ourselves  an  utter  poverty  of  every  thing  that  is 
spiritually  good  ;  "but  God  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  bless- 
ings in  Christ  Jesus."  *'  We  are  nothing,  can  do  nothing,  say  noth- 
ing, think  nothing  but  what  is  evil.  "Christ  is  all  and  in  all." 
"  Every  good  and  every  perfect  gift  cometh  from  above,"  and  is  given 
to  us  by  the  Father,  for  his  beloved  Son's  sake.  "  We  are  complete 
in  him."tt 

I  may  seem  to  have  often  repealed  the  words  '  gifts'  and  '  given  ;' 
but  they  cannot  come  over  too  often,  nor  be  too  earnestly  dwelt  on. 
The  Scriptures  are  perpetually  renewing  the  delightful  repetition, 
and  presenting  the  idea  of  somewhat  gratuitously  bestowed,  under 
every  possible  variety  of  language  and  imagery.  Sometimes  they 
speak  of  buying  the  gospel  blessings,  and  tell  us  to  "  come  and  buy 
without  money  and  without  price. "t+  And  what  is  this,  but  to  come 
and  hold  out  the  empty  hand  of  faith,  and  receive  as  a  free  gift  all 
that  God  will  put  into  it.  Sometimes  they  represent  sin  under  the 
idea  of  a  vast  debt,  expressly  declaring  that  "  Jesus  frankly  forgives 
all  when  we  have  nothing  to  pay."§§  So  long  then  as  we  think  we 
have  any  timig  to  pay^  we  do  not  come  under  the  description  of 
those  to  whom  Jesus  frankly  forgives  all.  But  when  convinced  of 
our  depravity  and  helplessness,  we  come  poor,  naked  and  empty  to 

*  Col.  i.  21.    Rom.  t.  5.    1  Tim.  i.  14.   f  John  xv.  8.  ±  James  ii.  19,  20. 

^  Ephcs.  ii.  10.  'I  Phil.  ii.  12, 13.   Isa.  xxvi.  12.  Heb.  xiii.  20, 21. 

H  Titus  ii.  14.  ♦*  Ej)hcs.  i.  3. 

ff  Col.  ill.  11.     James  i.  17.     Col.  ii.  10  ^  Isaiah  Iv.  1. 

^^  Matt,  xviii.  27.  ^> 


ON    FREE    GRACE.  293 

Jesus,  casting  from  \js  all  confidence,  save  only  that  which  his  ten- 
der love  and  mercy  excites,  making  mention  of  hlsi  righteousness^ 
and  Ids  only  ;  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  he  freely  pardon,  freely 
clothe  and  enrich  us.  freely  receive  us  among  the  children,  and  make 
us  perfect  through  his  own  comeliness,  which  he  puts  upon  the  souls 
that  simply  trust  in  Him.  The  poor  and  needy,  the  weak  and 
helpless,  are  his  peculiar  care,  while  those  who  think  they  have  any 
strength  or  riches  of  iheir  own  to  trust  to,  are  not  objects  of  his 
bouniy,  for  "he  feedeth  the  strong  with  judgment,"*  and  -'sendeth 
the  rich  empty  away."t 

If  any  of  the  promises  are  conditional,  those  which  are  expressed 
in  the  form  of  a  covenant  must  be  of  that  description,  since  the  very 
word  implies  a  compact  or  agreement.  Let  us  then  inquire  into  the 
terms  of  that  covenant  whicli  God  has  condescended  to  make  with 
his  people. 

We  know  the  first  covenant  between  God  and  man,  how  that 
was  kept ;  and  if  man,  as  he  came  out  of  the  hands  of  his  Crea- 
tor, upright,  innocent  and  holy,  could  not  keep  conditions  which  he 
knew  to  be  holy,  just  and  good,  how  shall  fallen  man,  ''  in  whom 
dwelleth  no  good  thing,"  keep  any  conditions  fit  for  a  Holy.  God  to 
propose  ?  I  have  heard  it  said,  '  By  sincere,  though  imperfect  obe- 
dience :'  both  which  terms,  applied  in  this  sense,  appear  to  me  ab- 
solute nonsense.  For,  in  the  first  place,  is  it  not  blaspheming  the 
holiness  and  justice  of  God,  to  suppose  that  He  "who  cannot  be- 
hold iniquity," will  be  satisfied  with  an  imperfect  obedience?  Then 
he  will  let  go  a  httle  of  his  holiness— and  a  little  of  his  justice,  and 
part  altogether  with  his  attribute  of  truth  ?  For  He  has  said, 
That  whosoever  performs  not  the  whole  law,  is  guilty  of  all ;  and 
that  "  He  will,  by  no  means,  clear  the  guilty."!  In  the  next  place, 
how  can  ice  whose  hearts  are  deceitful  above  all  things  and  despe- 
rately wicked, §  talk  o(  sincere  obedience'^  We  must  have  the 
deceitful  heart  taken  away,  and  new  hearts  created  within  us, 
before  we  can  render  a  sincere  obedience  :  and  then  it  will  be  no 
longer  our  own  obedience.  To  express  myself  more  clearly — 
'  works  done  6e/o/-e  justification  have  the  nature  of  sin,  and  cannot 
so  much  as  make  us  meet  to  receive  grace  :'(Art.  9,)  these  therefore 
must  be  wholly  out  of  the  question,  in  any  covenant,  by  which  we 
think  to  merit  God's  favor.  <  Works  done  after  justification,' 
though  miserably  imperfect,  '  j^et  have  somcthng  of  the  nature  of 
sincere  obedience:'  but  to  call  these  the  cause,  either  rf/rec^  or 
indirectly  of  our  justification,  when  they  cannot  by  any  means  be 
produced  till  w/iJer  justification  ;  this  would  be,  in  the  most  prepos- 
terous manner  to  confound  the  cause  with  the  effect,  and  to  put  the 
last  first.  Justification  is  the  producing  cause  :  works  done  after 
justification  are  the  natural  effect.  Let  me  correct  myself  The 
free  love  of  God  in  Christ  is  the  sole  cause  both  of  justification  and 
sanctilication  ;  but  He  lias  so  ordered  it  that  the  one  shall  always 

*  Ezek.  xxxiv.  15.  t  Luiie  i.  53. 

f  Isaiah  ii.  10.     Exodus  xxxiv.  7.  <j  Jer.  xvii.  9. 


294  ON    FREE    GRACE. 

follow  the  other  in  a  fixed  and  inseparable  connection  ;  and  to  say 
that  good  works  precede  or  occasio/i  justification,  is  to  say  that  the 
fruit  on  the  tree  was  there  before  ever  the  tree  was  planted  :  nay — 
that  had  not  the  fruit  first  blossomed  and  ripened,  the  tree  had  never 
come  there  at  all — it  is,  in  fact,  to  say  that  the  fruit  planted  the  tree. 
Let  us  cease  then  from  attempting,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  stand 
before  God  upon  that  covenant  of  works  which  our  father  Adam, 
with  ail  the  advantages  of  a  sinless  nature,  did  not  keep.  Far 
other  are  the  means  of  acceptance  which  the  Scriptures  point  out 
to  us.  They  tell  us  that  Jesus,  "  the  second  Adam — the  mediator 
of  the  new  covenant,"  has  taken  upon  himself,  as  our  Surety,  to 
perform  all  the  conditions  annexed  to  it.  He  has  borne  all  the  pen- 
alties due  to  our  disobedience;  and  has  wrought  out  for  us  an  obe- 
dience, so  perfect,  that  the  eye  of  God  himself  can  perceive  no  flaw 
in  it ;  so  infinitely  meritorious,  that  those  poor  sinners  who  have  it 
on,  appear  in  the  sight  of  the  Father  "  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  or 
any  such  thing :"  they  are  all  fair — there  is  no  spot  in  them.* 
Place  now  our  sincerest  obedience  by  the  side  of  the  righteousness 
of  Jesus.  Compare  our  faint  desires  which  expire  in  the  utterance  ; 
our  tardy  wishes  which  linger  in  the  performance  ;  our  few  specious 
actions  whose  fair  outside  is  a  cloak  to  much  that  is  selfish  in  the 
motives  of  them,  and  much  that  is  perverse  in  the  will.  Compare 
this  righteousness  with  the  righteousness  of  Jesus;  of  Him  who 
"  made  it  his  meat  and  drink  to  do  his  Father's  will ;"  whose  zeal 
for  the  house  of  God  "  consumed  Him  ;"  who  did  always  such 
things  as  pleased  God  ;  who  "  knew  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found 
in  his  moulh  ;"  who  "was  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from 
sinners,"  and  himself  made  higher  than  the  heavens. t  Oil !  who 
would  appear  before  God  in  his  own  filthy  and  ragged  garments, 
when  he  might  be  arrayed  in  the  glorious  apparel  of  Christ's  right- 
eousness? Why — why  cling  any  longer  to  the  idea  of  our  own 
works,  as  the  means  of  winning  God's  favor?  Do  we  not  see  that 
this  covering  is  narrower  than  "  that  a  man  iiiay  wrap  himself  in 
it?"  that  it  is  not  the  covering  of  God's  Spirit?  and  above  all  I 
would  ask — why  mix  what  God  hath  forever  put  asunder?  Is  not 
the  righteousness  of  Jesus  sufficiently  meritorious,  that  it  must  be 
helped  out  with  our  righteousness  ?  If  it  be  a  perfect  righteousness, 
what  need  of  trying  to  improve  it  by  tacking  to  it  some  paltry  mix- 
ture of  our  own  fancied  deservings  !  This  is  the  folly  of  man — 
of  that  vain  worm  who  would  be  wiser  than  his  Maker. 

I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  in  this  place  the  notable  methods 
which  some  who  call  themselves  serious  Christians,  have  hit  upon 
to  eke  out  that  perfect  righteousness  which  they  think  to  be  insuf- 
ficient ;  but  which  God  has  judged  to  be  perfect  and  entire,  want- 
ing nothing.  There  are  some  who  look  upon  the  merits  of  Christ 
a.s  gh  en  mere\y  to  SKpplj/  ID  hat  is  lack  in  g  in  tbeir  own  sincere 
obedience;  these  would  cut  such  pieces  out  of  the  beautiful  gar- 
ment as  would  serve  to  patch  up  their  own  filthy  rags  ;   forgetting 

•  Ephes.  V.  27.     Cant.  iv.  7.  f  J"hn  ix.  34.     Psalm  Ixix.  9.     Heb.  vii.  2t>. 


ON   FREE    GRACE.  295 

that  even  the  soldiers,  who  crucified  Christ,  refused  to  part  his  jjar- 
ment  when  they  observed  that  it  was  without  seam,  woven  from 
the  top  throughout.  Others  again  profess  to  trust  in  Christ's  right- 
eousness ;  but  talk,  I  know  not  what,  of  deserving^  by  their  own 
obedience,  that  this  righteousness  may  be  applied  to  them.  These 
would  put  on  the  "spotless  robe;"  but  Christ  must  accept  their 
own  righteousness  as  a  kind  of  equivalent  or  compensation  for  it. 
A  third  sort  feel  that  they  cannot  do  without  Christ's  righteousness  ; 
but  then  it  is  not  enough — they  must  also  do  their  part ;  and  when 
they  have  done  this,  they  think  that  God  will  accept  them  :  not  for 
the  sake  of  theirs  alone — for  that  would  be  presumption,  nor  for  the 
sake  of  Christ's  alone — for  that  would  be  licentiousness ;  but  in 
some  way  or  other  for  the  sake  of  the  two  together.  These  truly 
would  adorn  the  "  glorious  dress"  with  their  own  faded  tinsel  picked 
from  the  dunghill.  They  would  make  it  more  acceptable  in  God's 
sight  by  sewing  on  to  it  their  own  filthy  rags.  It  is  not  so  with 
those  who  have  learned  the  truth  "as  it  is  in  Jesus."  They  de- 
sire with  St.  Paul  "to  be  found  in  him,  not  having  their  own 
righteousness  which  is  of  the  law;  but  that  which  is  through  the 
faith  of  Christ  —  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith."* 
They  know  that  Jesus  has  "  made  an  end  of  sin,  and  brought  i:^ 
everlasting  righteousness  :"t  by  which  all  the  promises  of  the  new 
covenant  are  made  as  sure  to  believers  as  the  justice  and  faithful- 
ness— the  oath  and  counsel  of  God  can  make  them.  Wonder  not 
that  the  ministers  of  Christ  should  be  exceedingly  jealous  on  this 
point;  for  this  is  the  wedding  garment,  without  which  whoso  dares 
to  appear  before  God,  shall  be  bound  hand  and  foot  and  cast  into 
outer  darkness. 

But  to  return  to  the  promises  of  the  covenant:  for,  at  the  risk 
of  apparent  repetition,  I  am  desirous  of  setting  this  most  important 
subject  in  a  clear  point  of  view  ; — so  far  from  holiness  being  made 
the  condition  of  our  obtaining  them,  it  is  itself  the  great  promise 
insured  to  us  by  that  covenant :  "  1  will  make  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant with  them,  that  I  will  not  turn  away  from  them  to  do  them 
good ;  but  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not 
depart  from  me.''t  "  This  is  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with 
them — I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their 
hearts."§ 

The  character,  by  which  the  spirit  of  truth  designates  fallen  men, 
is  that  of  "covenant-breakers."||  "  They,"  like  7nen,  "  have  trans- 
gressed the  covenant."1[  Isaiah  says,  "The  earth  is  defiled  under 
the  inhabitants  thereof,  because  they  have  transgressed  the  laws, 
changed  the  ordinances,  broken  the  everlasting  covenant."**  What 
then  is  the  everlasting  covenant?  And  how  are  we  "  covenant- 
breakers"  to  derive  any  benefit  from  it?  Are  the  terms  of  the  ev- 
erlasting covenant  changed  since  God  entered  into  covenant  with 

*  Phil.  iii.  9.  ■\  Daniel  ix.  '24.  %  Jer.  xxxii.  40. 

^  .Ter.  xxxi.  33.     See  also  Heb.  viii.  10;  x.  16.  II  Rom.  I.  31. 

IT  Hosea  vi.  7.  **  Isaiah  xxiv.  31. 


296 


ON    FREE    GRACE. 


Adam,  as  the  representative  of  the  whole   human  race?     Has  the 
Holy  God  ceased  to  stand  upon  a  perfect  obedience?     Will  he  ac- 
cept less  at  our  hands  than  he  would  at  those  of  our  father  Adam? 
Has  he  reversed  the  decree — "  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die?" 
No — the   terms  of  the  everlasting  covenant  remain   unchau'i-ed, 
God  still  requires  a  sinless  obedience  :  a  righteousness  without  a 
flaw.     Moreover,  his  justice  demands   satisfaction  for  his  brolcen 
covenant.     We  can  fulfil  neither  the  one  nor  the  oiher  of  these  re- 
quirements.    But  behold  the  second  Adam — who  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven  !     With  him  God   hath  established  his  covenant,  as  the 
representative  of  a  renmant  chosen  according  to  the  election  of 
grace.     Jesus  is  the  mediator  and  the  surety  of  a  better  covenant 
than  that  which  was  made  with  Adam,  or  the   typical  covenant 
made  with   Moses.     And  yet  the   terms  of  the  covenants  are  the 
same — perfect  obedience:  death   in  case  of  disobedience.     But  the 
death  has  been  borne  by  him  "  who  died  that  we  might  live."    The 
obedience  has  been  fulfilled   by  him  "through  whose  obedience 
many  were  made  righteous."     Jesus,  as  the  surety  of  the  everlast- 
ing covenant,  has  both  paid  the  full  penalty  incurred  by  his  people 
for  the  breach  of  the  old  covenant ;  and  has  likewise  performed  for 
them  every  condition  of  the  new.     "  He  was  made  sin  for  us."    We 
are  '•  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."     Thus,ia  the  second 
Adam,  we  have  paid  to  the  uttermost  farthing  both  the  debt  of  sat- 
isfaction, and  the  debt  of  obedience.     In  our  surety  Jesus,  we  have 
"received  at  the  Lord's    hand   double  for  all  our  sitis."     In    our 
surety  Jesus  we  have  worked  out  our  title  to  eternal  life :  we  be- 
come rightful  heirs  of  the  promises.     Thus  God  has  made  with  his 
people  "  an  everlasting  covenant,  well-ordered  in  all  things,  and 
sure  ;"  and  this  covenant  is  "  all  their  salvation,  and  all  their  de- 
sire."    Moreover,  this  covenant  which  was  confirmed  of  God  in 
Christ  before  the  world  was,  cannot  be  disannulled  by  the  covenant 
of  works  made  with  Adam  since  the  creation  of  the  world,  nor  by 
the  law,  which  was  added  nearly  3000  years  afterwards.     It  is  de- 
lightful to  trace  this  covenant  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
the  Scriptures  of  Truth,  as  it  was  faintly  revealed  to  Adam   and 
Noah;   more  clearly  set  forth  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob;  typi- 
fied in  every  part  of  the  ceremonial  law,  and  foretold  by  the  law- 
giver Moses  ;  as  it  was  sung  by  David,  prophesied  by  Isaiah,  Jere- 
miah, Ezekiel,  and  the   rest  of  the  prophets  ;  manifested  and  ful- 
filled in  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  ;  and  explained  and  enforced 
by  the  Apostle  Paul  and  others  of  the  holy  Apostles.     ''Thanks  be 
unto  God  for  his  unspeakable  gift !"' — for  his  free  and  complete  sal- 
vation !  for,  if  it  were  not  freely  given,  we  could  never  attain  to 
it;  and,  if  it  were  not  complete  without  our  help,  we   should  be 
but  half  saved.     Surely  this  of  all  others  is  that  '-gift  which  is  as 
a  precious  stone  in  the  eyes  of  him  that  hath  it,  which  way  soever 
it  turneth,  it  prospereth."* 

The  great  question  then  about  the  promises  seems  to  be,  not  so 
*  Proverbs  xvii,  lO. 


ON    FREE    GRACE.  297 

miTiih  whether  the)^  are  co?iditional,  as  whelher  God  looks  to 
Christ,  or  to  tis,  for  the  jiorformance  of  those  conditions.  If  to 
Christ,  the  burden  is  laid  upon  '-one  (hat  is  mighty  :'"  if  to  us, 
then  we  are  undone;  'for  the  condition  of  man  alter  the  fall  is 
such,  that  he  cannot  turn  and  prepare  himself,  by  hi?  own  natu- 
ral strength  and  good  works,  to  faith  and  calling  upon  God  :  where- 
fore we  have  no  power  do  do  good  works  pleasant  and  acceptable 
to  God,  without  the  grace  of  God  by  Christ  preventing-  us,  that  we 
may  have  a  good  will,  ivorking  in  us  when  we  have  (hot  goad  ivill.'' 
(Art.  10.)  So  then  '  we  are  accounted  righteous  before  God,  only 
for  the  merit  of  onr  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  by  faith, 
and  not  for  our  oivmi-orks  and  deservings :  wherefore,  that  we 
are  justified  by  faith  only,  is  a  most  wholesonic  doctrine,  and  very- 
full  of  comfort,  as  is  more  largely  expressed  in  the  Homily  on  Justi- 
fication.'    (Art,  11.) 

We  now  come  to  the  second  argument.  Grace  will  be  given  to 
all  who  diligently  seek  for  it.  But  if  we  attend  to  the  Scripture 
account  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child  by  nature,  we  shall  find 
that  this  seeking  also  is  the  effect  following  upon  grace  received: 
not  the  cause  2Jroducing  it.  By  this  I  mean  to  say,  that  the  very 
act  of  seeking  grace  proves  that  we  have  received  grace  already  ; 
and  that  the  very  ability  to  seek,  is  itself  the  free  gift  of  God's 
sovereign  grace.  If  every  thought  of  man's  heart  is  evil,  and  that 
continually,  surely  it  is  not  out  of  that  heart  that  (he  first  desire 
of  any  good  thing  can  spring.  If,  by  nature,  there  is  none  that 
seeketh  after  God,  whence  can  the  first  attempt  to  seek  him  arise 
but  from  free  grace  drawing  us  contrary  to  nature  7  Freely  must 
grace  be  given  to  enable  us  to  seek  at  first ;  and  freely  must  it  be 
continued,  to  enable  us  to  go  on  seeking.  I  know  that  none  shall 
seek  the  Lord  in  vain ;  none  who  come  shall  be  cast  out;  none 
who  believe  shall  come  short  of  everlasting  life  :  nojie  who  choose 
the  better  part  shall  have  it  taken  away  from  them ;  but  then 
none  can  seek  the  Lord,  ladess  he  first  seek  them*  None  can 
come  except  it  be  given  them  of  the  Leather  ; — 7ione  can  believe 
save  as  many  as  are  ordained  to  eternal  life  ;  none  can  choose 
Christ  except  he  first  choose  them.\  If  again  we  consider  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  change  which  must  take  place  in  every  sinner's  heart 
before  he  can  truly  and  earnestly  seek  God,  we  shall  be  convinced 
that  no  part  of  it  is  properly  his  own.  He  must  "  be  boin  again  ;"t 
he  must  "  become  a  new  creature  ;  old  things  must  pass  away,  all 
things  must  become  new  ;"§  he  must  "  pass  from  death  unto  life  ;"li 
"  from  darkness  to  light — from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God  ;"1^ 
'•  from  going  about  to  establish  his  own  righteousness,  to  submit 
himself  to  the  righteousness  of  God  ;"**  and  this  to  a  proud  carnal 
heart,  is  the  most  djfliicult  of  all.     And  who  is  sufficient  for  these 

*  John  X.  IG.     Ezekiel  xxxiv.  4.     Luke  xix.  10.  Psalm  cxix.  176.     Ephes.  ii.  13. 
t  John  vi.  G5  ;  xv.  16.     Acts  xiii.  48.  \  Ibid.  iii.  3. 

%  2  Cor.  V.  17.  II  I  John  iii.  14. 

V  Acts  xxvi.  11.     1  Peter  ii.  9.  **  Rom.  x.  9. 


298  ON    FREE    GRACE. 

things?  Who  but  He  that  first  formed  us  in  the  womb,  can  cause 
us  to  be  born  again  of  the  Spirit?  Who  but  lie  tliat  originally  cre- 
ated us,  is  able  to  create  us  anew  in  Christ  Jesus?  Who  but  the 
Giver  of  natural  life  can  give  spiritual  life  ;  "  and  quicken  those  that 
were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins?"* 

W^hen  the  Lord  of  life  stood  by  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  and  said, 
Lazarus  coaie  forth,  and  he  that  was  dead  instantly  came  forth; 
who  would  say  that  this  act  of  lifting  himself  up  was  the  cause  of 
his  coming  to  life,  and  not  rather  that  his  coming  to  life  was  the 
cause  of  his  being  able  to  lift  himself  up?  It  is  thus  when  Jesus 
by  his  word  and  Spirit  says  to  the  heart  of  a  sinner,  "Awake,  thou 
that  sleepest,  arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee  light."t 
Instantly  that  dead  soul  arises,  and  its  first  act  is  seeking,  or 
prayer :  but  this  same  act  of  seeking  is  the  effect  of  spiritual  life, 
not  the  cause.  We  pray  because  we  are  alive,  not  that  we  may 
live.  We  cannot  quicken  ourselves  when  dead  in  sin,  any  more 
than  we  can  bring  a  dead  body  to  life.  But  when  Jesus  has  quick- 
ened us,  we  shall  as  surely  perform  all  those  actions,  which  demon- 
strate the  soul  to  be  spiritually  alive,  as  a  dead  body  when  raised 
by  divine  power,  will  surely  perform  all  the  functions  of  a  living 
person.  Grace,  great  grace  must  be  infused,  to  enable  us  to  seek 
at  all,  and  he  who  first  gave  grace  to  seek,  will  give  more  grace  in 
answer  to  that  seeking,  tlius  fulfilling  that  precious  Scripliu'e, 
which  saith,  '•  To  him  that  hath,  shall  be  given. "t  We  neilljer 
begin  nor  carry  on  the  work  of  grace  in  our  own  hearts.  Jesus  is 
the  author  and  finisher,  the  Alpha  andOmeg-a  of  our  faith.  From 
the  first  spark  of  grace  that  faintly  glimmers  upon  us  here,  to  the 
full  blaze  of  glory  which  shall  burst  upon  us  in  heaven  ;  all,  all  is 
his  doing  ;  it  is  he  that  made  us  alive  (spiritually,)  not  we  our- 
selves. It  is  God  who  both  begins  the  good  work  in  us,  and  also 
will  "  perform  it  unto  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ."§ 

I  cannot  quit  this  subject  without  averting  to  the  very  strong 
words  in  which  our  Church  insists  upon  it  throughout  the  whole 
service,  perpetually  reminding  us  that  from  God  all  holy  desires,  as 
well  as  good  counsels,  and  all  just  works  do  proceed.  In  the  Col- 
lect for  Sexagesima  Sunday  :  '  O  Lord  God,  who  seest  that  we  put 
not  our  trust  in  any  thing  that  we  do.'  But  we  are  putting  our 
trust  in  something  we  do,  if  we  are  trusting  to  obtain  God's  promi- 
ses on  any  conditions  of  our  own  performing  ;  and  we  are  again  utter- 
ing a  solemn  mockery  in  the  second  Collect  in  Lent,  'Almighty 
God,  who  seest  that  we  ha\  e  no  power  of  ourselves  to  help  our- 
selves.' In  the  Collect  for  Easter-day,  we  acknowledge  that  it  is 
God  who  'by  his  special  grace  preventing  us,  doth  put  into  our 
minds  good  desires,  and  that  we  need  his  continual  help  to  bring 
the  same  to  good  effect.'  h\  the  4th  Sunday  after  Easter: — 'Al- 
mighty God,  who  alone  canst  order  the  uruuly'wills  and  affections 
of  sinful  men,  grant  unto  thy  people,  that  they  may  love  the  thing 

*  Eph.  ii.  1.  t  iWd.  V.  14.  1  Matt.  xiii.  12. 

<i  PhU.  i.  6. 


ON    FREE    GRACE.  299 

which  thou  commandest,  and  desire  that  which  ihoii  dost  promise.' 
In  the  5th — '  Grant  that  by  thy  holy  inspiration  we  may  think 
those  things  that  be  good,  and  by  thy  merciful  guiding  may  per- 
form liie  same.'  In  the  1st  after  Trinity — 'Because  through  the 
weakness  of  our  mortal  nature  we  can  do  no  good  thing  without 
thee,  grant  us  the  help  of  tliy  grace.'  In  the  3rd  after  Trinity — 
'  We,  to  whom  thou  hast  given  an  hearty  desire  to  pray.'  In  the 
9th  after  Trinity — '  Grant  to  us  the  spirit  to  think  and  do  always 
such  thmgs  as  be  rightful ;  that  we  who  cannot  do  any  thing  that 
is  good  without  thee,  may  by  thee  be  enabled  to  live  according  to 
thy  will.'  In  the  13th  after  Trinity — 'Almighty  and  merciful  God, 
of  whose  only  gift  it  cometh  that  thy  faithful  people  do  unto  thee 
true  and  laudable  service,  &.C.'  It  appears  to  me  that  this  collect  is 
a  peculiarly  beautiful  lesson  ;  it  so  strongly  sets  fortli  the  doctrine 
of  which  I  am  speaking,  and  so  wisely  guards  it  from  abuse,  ac- 
knowledging in  the  plainest  terms,  that  as  we  cannot  obtain  the 
promises  by  a  holy  life,  so  neither  can  we  obtain  them  without  it. 
In  the  17th  after  Trinity  we  pray  that  '  his  grace  may  always 
prevent  and  follow  us.  and  make  us  continually  to  be  given  to  good 
works.'  In  the  l9th — ■'■  O  God,  forasmuch  as  without  thee,  we  are 
not  able  to  please  thee.'  In  the  25th — '  Stir  up,  we  beseech  thee,' 
&c.  But  T  will  not  take  up  more  time  in  multiplying  testimonies 
from  this  most  evangelical  service.  If  these  do  not  prove  that  our 
great  reformers  at  least  thought  us  utterly  incapable  of  doing  one 
thing  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God,  except  by  his  free  grace  first 
of  all  putting  the  desire  into  our  hearts,  then  enabling  us  to  breathe 
out  that  desire  in  fervent  prayer,  and  then  fulfilling  the  desire  and 
prayer  of  its  own  inspiring  :  if  they  do  not  mean  that  the  work  of 
salvation  in  the  heart,  is  the  work  oi  free  and  sovereign  mercy, 
from  beginning  to  end,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive  what  they  do 
mean,  or  why  they  came  there  at  all. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  a  clear  and  full  view  of  this  doctrine 
that  we  ascribe  to  the  free,  sovereign  and  tinmerited  grace  of 
God,  the  first  desire  after  him  that  ever  arose  in  our  hearts,  as  well 
as  the  fulfilling  of  that  desire  when  expressed  in  prayer.  We  must 
be  convinced  that  nothing  in  the  work  of  salvation  is  our  own,  but 
only  the  gift  of  God's  love  to  us  in  Christ  Jesus.  Christ  died  for 
us  when  we  were  enemies:*  the  benefits  of  his  death  are  applied  to 
us.  for  the  purpose  of  reconciling  us,  not  in  consequence  of  our  mak- 
ing any  advances  towards  being  reconciled.  He  died  for  the  ungodly, 
for  those  who  were  without  strength  ;t  without  strength  to  come  to 
Him  ;  without  strength  to  form  so  much  as  a  wish  to  come  to  Him. 
The  desire  to  come  is  given  for  His  sake  ;  the  ability  to  come  is 
given  for  his  sake  :  the  acceptance  on  coming  is  an  acceptance/or 
the  beloved  sake  of  this  beloved  Saviour,  "  without  whom  we  can  do 
nothing."!  Those  who  say,  '  Grace  will  be  given  if  we  ask.  but  then 
asking  must  y^recec^e  or  procure  the  given  grace;'  are  in  effect  robbing 
God  of  much  of  the  glory  due  unto  His  name.  For  the  power  and  the 
♦  Rom.  V.  10.  t  Ibid.  v.  6.  %  John  xv.  5. 


300  ON    FREE    GRACE. 

inclination  to  ask  are  of  tiiemselves  a  part  of  (he  free  gift  of  God's 
grace  to  us  in  Ciirist  Jesus.  They  are  the  beginning  of  God's  work 
in  the  heart,  and  to  say  that  we  begin  this  work,  is  no  other  than 
to  say  that  we  can  create  ourselves  anew  in  Ciirist  Jesus.  \  will 
venture  to  affirm,  that  if  God  laaited  (o  give  us  His  grace  till  we 
ask  Him  for  it  of  our  own  accord,  we  should  go  without  it  to  all 
eternity. 

Tlie  great  source  of  error  on  this  head,  even  amongst  serious 
people,  is,  that  ihey  cannot  bring  themselves  to  think  they  have 
jiothing'  of  their  oiDii  in  the  work  of  salvation.  Therefore  it  is, 
that  wlieu  constrained  to  acknowledge  that  the  grace  given  them 
when  they  seek,  is  from  God  only  ;  their  self-righteousness  betakes 
itself  to  another  strong-hold  ;  and  we  find  them  laying  claim  to 
their  asklri''j^  and  seekin,^y  as  if  that  at  least  was  the  effort  of  their 
own  will,  the  spontaneous  act  of  their  own  power.  This  is  just  as 
if  one  should  take  a  dead  person  by  the  hand,  breathe  life  into  him, 
and  lift  him  up  upon  his  feet ;  and  that  person  should  make  a  show 
of  acknowledgment  to  his  benefactor,  by  allowing  to  that  benefac- 
tor the  praise  of  lifting  him  up  after  he  was  alive,  and  keeping  him 
alive  ever  since,  and  yet  should  maintain  that  the  first  breath  of 
all  came  into  him  by  his  own  spontaneous  act,  by  the  effect  of  his 
own  uuassiste  1  power.  The  absurdity  of  such  an  assertion,  with 
regard  to  temporal  life,  would  slril^e  us  at  once  ;  but  we  are  not  so 
struck  with  it  in  reference  to  spiritual  life;  and  the  reason  is  this. 
When  we  talk  of  a  dead  carcass,  we  know  what  we  are  talking 
about.  There  it  lays  befoieour  eyes,  incapable  of  breathing,  mov- 
ing, speaking.  We  perfectly  know  wdiat  we  mean  when  we  say 
that  a  dead  body  cannot  raise  itself  to  life.  But  when  we  speak 
of  a  soul  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  we  too  often  use  the  phrase 
merely  because  we  find  it  in  the  Scriptures;  without  the  slightest 
conception  of  the  awful  reality  expressed  by  it.  Nor  is  it  till  we 
have  ourselves  in  some  measure  passed  from  death  unto  life,  that 
we  begin  to  perceive  the  dreadful  and  close  analogy  which  really 
exists  between  the  two  states  of  natural  and  spiritual  death.  If 
God  were  to  come  to  an  unconverted  person  with  the  question,  not. 
Can  these  dry  bones,  but  Can  these  dead  souls  live  !  He  would  be 
apt  to  reply,  Why  not?  What  should  hinder  them  from  raising 
themselves  up,  and  breathing  the  breath  of  spiritual  life?  But 
when  God  has  quickened  us  from  our  own  death  in  trespasses  and 
sins,  our  eyes  are  opened  to  see  what  spiritual  death  really  is,  and 
then  we  learn  with  trembling  awe  to  reply ;  "  Lord,  thou  know- 
est."  This  is  thy  work,  it  is  thou  that  must  make  us  alive  and  not 
we  ourselves. 

Since  then  men  are  universally  disposed  to  go  about  establishing 
their  own  rigliteousness,  how  carefully  ought  we  to  close  up  every 
evenue  through  which  this  besetting  sin  might  gain  admittance, 
and  rob  us  of  our  peace,  by  leading  us  to  rob  Cinist  of  his  praise. 
Many  are  the  windings  of  our  own  treacherous  hearts  ;  many  are 
the  devices  of  Satan  by  wdiich  he  would  tempt  us  to  ascribe  to  our 


ON    FREE    GRACE.  301 

own  strens^th,  what  God  has  clone  for  us  of  his  mere  mercy.  Nor 
let  us  think  that  a  mistake  liere  can  be  of  trifling  importance. 
God  is  very  jealous  for  His  great  name  ;  and  He  has  declared  that 
if  "  we  will  not  lay  it  to  heart  to  give  glory  to  His  name,"  He  will 
send  a  curse  upon  us,  and  will  even  "curse  our  blessings."*  Many 
and  glorious  are  the  crowns  which  adorn  the  sacred  head  of  Im- 
nianuel ;  let  us  not  try  to  pluck  thence  tiie  brightest  and  fairest  of 
them  all,  for  well  does  it  become  this  King  of  kings.  When  Ave 
get  to  heaven,  and  receive  the  crown  of  glory,  we  shall  be  ready 
enough  to  cast  that  at  His  feet,  and  to  say,  Thou  only  are  worthy. 
Let  us  do  the  same  with  the  crown  of  grace  here  ;  for  surely  we 
have  as  little  to  arrogate  the  one  to  ourselves  as  the  other. 

A  few  words  on  a  sentiment,  not,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  very  gene- 
rally prevalent;  yet  as  we  do  find,  even  in  what  is  called  the  relig- 
ious world,  some  who  avowedly  profess  it,  and  many  more  who 
are  secretly,  perhaps  unconsciously  influenced  by  it  :  a  brief  notice 
of  it  may  not  be  unnecessary.  1  allude  to  those  who,  finding  the 
doctrine  of  free  and  sovereign  grace  very  fully  and  strongly  set 
forth  in  St.  Paul's  epistles,  seem  in  all  their  arguments  on  the  sub- 
ject to  abate  somewhat  of  the  Divine  authority  of  these  epistles, 
and  confine  themselves  to  a  few  isolated  statements  fiom  the  Gos- 
pel, (fcc,  which  they  deem  more  consonant  to  their  own  views  and 
feelings.  To  such  I  would  say.  Saint  Paul  is  no  more  responsible 
for  the  matter  contained  in  his  epistles,  than  you  or  I  are.  These 
are  not.  in  fact,  *S'^  PauVs  epistles  :  they  are  the  epistles  of  God  the 
Holi/  Ghost,  faithfully  transcribed  and  delivered  to  us  by  His  ser- 
vant Paul.  The  Holy  Ghost,  speaking  through  the  medium  of 
Paul,  cannot  but  speak  in  perfect  unison  with  what  He  has  declared 
through  the  medium  of  Peter  or  John,  or  any  other  of  His  inspired 
messengers.  He  may  take  up  one  instrument  and  lay  down  an- 
other, but  the  Spirit  which  speaks  in  them  is  the  same.  He  may 
open  the  mouth  of  one  of  His  servants  to  explain  one  mystery  of 
His  Gospel ;  while  He  makes  another  more  fully  to  dwell  upon  and 
unfold  some  other  mystery:  for  He  divideth  unto  every  man 
severally  as  He  will.  But  still  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  One.  He 
cannot  contradict  himself,  cannot  speak  contrary  to  truth,  for  he  is 
the  Spirit  of  Truth,  and  is  given  to  lead  us  into  all  truth.  And 
of  the  inspired  penmen,  one  and  all,  we  may  say  ;  "Have  they  any 
power  at  all  to  say  any  thing  ?  The  ivord  that  God  put  into  their 
mouths  that  have  they  spoken.  They  covld  not  go  beyond  the 
word  of  the  Lord  their  God  to  say  less  or  more.'" 

We  shall  never  become  perfectly  reconciled  to  all  parts  of  the 
word  of  God  until  He  Himself  bestows  on  us  the  spirit  and  temper 
of  a  little  child,  to  receive  without  murmuring,  or  disputirigs,  or 
carnal  reasonings,  whatsoever  JEHOVAH  the  tSpirit  is  pleased 
to  say  to  us.  That  Spirit  alone  can  take  away  the  evil  heart  of 
unbelief,  which  prevents  us  from  embracing  the  whole  counsel  of 
God,  as  revealed  in  his  word.     It  is  he  that  must  open  our  hearts 

*  Malaclii  ii.  2. 


302  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

to  attend  to  all  the  things  written  in  his  law.  Then  we  shall  per- 
ceive a  connection  and  a  harnion}'^  between  every  part  and  every 
doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,  which  will  fill  us  with  ever-increasing  won- 
der and  delight.  May  lie  thus  open  our  understandings  to  under- 
stand the  Scriptures,  and  to  know  the  things  that  are  freely  given 
to  tcs  of  God. 


CHAPTER     III. 

ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

The  17th  Article  gives  so  much  better  an  account  of  the  doctrine 
of  Election  or  Predestination,  than  could  be  expressed  by  any  words 
of  mine,  that  I  beg  leave  to  place  it  at  the   head  of  this  chapter. 

'Predestination  to  life  is  the  everlasting  jmrpose  of  God,  where- 
by [before  the  foundations  of  the  world  ^oere  laid)  he  hath  con- 
stantly decreed  by  his  counsel,  secret  to  us,  to  deliver  from  curse 
and  damnation,  those  whom  he  hath  chosen  in  Christ  out  of  man- 
kind, and  to  bring  them  by  Christ  to  everlasting  salvation,  as  ves- 
sels made  to  honor.  Wherefore  they  which  be  endued  with  so  ex- 
cellent a  benefit  of  God  be  called,  according  to  God's  purpose  by 
his  Spirit  working  in  due  season;  they  through  grace  obei/ the 
calling  ;  they  be  jtistified  freely,  they  be  made  sons  of  God  by 
adoption :  they  be  made  like  the  image  of  his  only  begotten  Son 
Jesus  Christ :  they  walk  religiously  in  good  works,  and  at  length, 
by  God's  mercy,  they  attain  to  everlasting  felicity. 

'As  the  godly  consideration  of  Predestination  and  our  Election 
in  Christ  is  full  of  sweet,  pleasant  and  unspeakable  comfort  to 
godly  persons,  and  such  as  feel  in  themselves  the  workings  of  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  mortifying  the  works  of  the  flesh,  and  their  earthly 
members,  and  drawing  up  their  mind  to  high  and  heavenly  things 
as  well  because  it  doth  greatly  establish  and  confirm  their  faith 
of  eternal  salvation  to  be  enjoyed  through  Christ,  as  because  it 
doth  fervently  kindle  their  love  toivards  God ;  so  for  curious  and 
carnal  persons,  lacking  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  to  have  continually  be- 
fore their  eyes  ihe  sentence  of  God's  predestination,  is  a  most  dan- 
gerous downfall,  whereby  the  devil  doth  thrust  them  either  into 
desperation  or  into  recklessness  of  most  unclean  living,  no  less  per- 
ilous that  desperation. 

'Furthermore,  we  must  receive  God's  promises  in  such  wise  as 
they  be  generally  set  forth  to  us  in  holy  Scripture  ;  and  in  our 
doings,  that  will  of  God  is  to  be  followed,  which  we  have  expressly 
declared  to  us  in  the  word  of  God.' 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  303 

The  latter  part  of  (his  article  is  awfully  true,  and  the  warning 
conveyed  by  it,  should  sink  into  every  heart.  But  what  then? 
Must  godly  persons  renounce  or  suppress  a  doctrine  clearly  revealed 
in  Scripture  ;  strongly  enfoiced  by  the  articles  of  a  church  of  which 
they  are  professed  members  ;  and  full  of  sweet,  jyleasoitt  and  U7i- 
speakable  cowfort,  merely  because  curious  and  carnal  persons  will 
"  wrest  it,  as  they  do  also  the  other  scriptures,  to  their  own  destruc- 
tion?'"* At  this  rate  we  must  renounce  every  Scripture  truth  ;  for 
there  is  not  one,  which,  while  it  is  a  savor  of  life  unto  life  unto  them 
that  are  saved,  is  not  also  a  savor  of  death  unto  death  to  them  that 
perish. t  Therefore  we  must  not  be  afraid  to  receive  with  humility 
and  simplicity  all  that  the  Scriptures  have  revealed  to  us  on  this 
subject.  Let  us  then  as  in  a  former  chapter  search  this  sacred  word 
and  see  what  testimony  we  can  bring  from  the  Three  that  bear 
record  in  Heaven. 

God  the  Father  saith  of  himself  by  Moses,  "  that  he  will  have 
mercy  on  whom  he  will  have  mercy,"  and  "will  have  compassion 
on  whom  he  will  have  compassion. "t  God  the  Son  has  told  us 
"  that  none  can  know  the  Father,  save  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son 
will  reveal  him."§  '•  That  to  some  is  given  to  know  the  mysteries 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to  others  it  is  not  given  ;"li  "  that 
no  man  can  come  to  him  except  it  were  given  to  him  of  the  Fa- 
ther :''1f  '•  that  all  whom  the  Father  giveth  him,  shall  come  to 
him,"**  "  tliat  he  will  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  God  hath 
given  him  :"tt  "that  of  all  which  the  Father  hath  given  him  he 
will  lose  nothing,  but  will  raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  day  ;"U  "  that 
many  are  called,  but  few  chosen  :'*§§  "  (hat  God  hath  an  elect  people, 
whom  he  hath  chosen  :"||||  "  that  he  will  avenge  his  own  elect :"111^ 
"  that  it  is  impossible  finally  to  deceive  his  elect  :"***  "  that  he  will 
gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of  hea- 
ven to  the  other  :"ttt  "that  he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name,tU 
and  leadeth  them  out  from  sin  and  self;  and  will  bring  his  other 
sheep  which  are  yet  unborn  and  they  shall  hear  his  voice,  and 
that  if  any  believe  not.  it  is  because  they  are  not  of  his  sheep  :"§§§ 
that  "  we  did  not  choose  him,  but  he  hath  chosen  us,  and  or- 
dained us,  that  we  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  (hat  our 
fruit  should  remain  :"llllll  "  that  he  knows  whom  he  hath  cho- 
sen :"mil  and  that  "  his  disciples  are  not  of  (he  world,  because  he 
hath  chosen  them  out  of  the  world  :"****  declares  by  the  pen  of  St. 
Luke;  that  "the  Lord  added  to  the  church  such  as  should  be 
saved— and  that  as  many  as  are  ordained  to  eternal  life  believe  :"tttt 
by  that  of  Peter;  that  "all  God's  people  are  elect  by  the  fore- 
knowledge of  God  the  Father,  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit 

*  2  Peter,  iii.  16.  f  2  Cor.  ii.  15,  16.  %  Exod.  xxxiii.  19.    Rom.  ix.  5. 

^  Matt.  X.  27.  II  Ibid.  xiii.  11.  IT  John  vi.  65. 

**  John  vi.  37.  tt  Ibid.  xvii.  2.  "sX  Ibid.  vi.  39. 

%%  Matt.  XX.  16;  xxii.  14.  Illl  Mark  xiii.  20.  iriT  Luiie  xviii.  7. 

**♦  Matt.  xxiv.  24.  fft  Ibid.  xxiv.  31.  XXX  John  x.  3. 

%%%  John  X.  3,  16,  26.  Illlll  Ibid.  xv.  16.  HITir  Ibid.  xiii.  18. 

♦*♦♦  John  XV.  19.  tit  Acts  ii.  47 ;  xiii.  47. 


304  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

unto  obedience,  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ ;"  that 
they  are  "a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priestliood,  a  holy  nation,  a 
peculiar  people  ;  that,  they  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  Him 
who  halh  called  iheni  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  litrht ;" 
that  '•  the  God  of  all  grace  is  He  who  hath  called  them  into  his 
eternal  glory  by  Jesus  Christ  :"*  by  James  ;  that  "  God  of  his  own 
will  hegetteih  them  with  the  word  of  truth,"  and  that  "known 
unto  Him  are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning  of  the  world:"! 
(and  if  all^  surely  that  most  wondrous  work,  which  is  wrought 
every  time  Gad  changes  a  sinner's  heart)  by  Jude  ;  that  "the  saints 
are  sanctified  by  God  the  Father,  and  preserved  in  Jesus  Christ,,  and 
called  :'■+  by  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  that  "  they  are  born 
again,  not  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of 
God:"  that  they  are  "called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful;  that  their 
nan)es  are  written  in  the  book  of  life,  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world  ;  that  if  we  love  God  it  is  because  He  first  loved  us."§  But 
of  all  His  faithful  messengers,  God  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made 
choice  more  especially  of  St.  Paul  to  dilate  upon,  and  unfold  a  doc- 
trine which  might  yet  have  been  learnt  from  other  Apostles,  had 
the  writings  of  St.  Paul  never  existed  ;  a  very  small  part  of  whose 
testimony  is  as  follows  : — "  For  whom  He  did  foreknow.  He  also 
did  predestinate,  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  His  Son,  that  he 
might  be  the  first-born  among  many  brethren  :  moreover  whom  He 
did  predestinate,  them  He  also  called  ;  and  whom  He  called,  them 
He  also  justified  ;  and  whom  He  justified,  them  He  also  glorified  ;"|| 
compare  this  with  the  17th  article  above  quoted,  and  say  whether 
the  Bible  and  the  church  do  not  unite  in  ascribing  every  step  of 
our  salvation  to  God  only.  "  Wherefore  there  is  a  remnant  ac- 
cording to  tlie  election  of  grace,  and  if  by  grace,  then  is  it  no  more 
of  works  :  otherwise  grace  is  no  more  grace.  But  if  it  be  of  works 
then  is  it  no  more  grace;  otherwise  work  is  no  more  work."*l[ 

How  plainl\4  does  the  Lord  the  Spirit  here  testify  the  utter  impos- 
sibility of  mixing  grace  and  works.  He  shows  us  that  if  the  very- 
least  mixture  of  work  could  be  admitted  into  the  covenant,  grace 
would  change  its  nature,  and  cease  to  be  grace.  It  must  be  all 
work,  or  all  grace  ;  we  cannot  make  a  half-and-half  covenant  with 
God.  He  has  offered  us  these  two ;  we  must  be  saved  by  the  one,** 
or  perish  by  the  other.tt  "Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings, 
in  heavenly  places  in  Christ,  according  as  He  hath  chosen  us  in 
Him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy 
and  without  blame  before  Him  in  love :  having  predestinated  us 
into  the  adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  Himself,  according 
to  the  good  pleasure  of  His  will,  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  His 
grace,  wherein  He  hath  made  us  accepted  in  the  beloved,  being  pre- 

*  1  Peter  i.  2,  ii.  9  ;  v.  10.         f  Jumes  i.  IB.     Acts  xv.  18.  %  Jude  1. 

^  John  i.  \'^.     Rev.  xvii.  8,  14;  xiii.  8;   xx.  12,  15;   xxi.  27.  Luke  x.  20.     1  John 

iv.  10.     See  also  John  xii.  39,  40.  II  Rom.  xiii.  29,  30. 

IT  Rom.  xi.  5,  6.                        **  Ephes  ii.  8.  ff  Gal.  iii.  10. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACS.  305 

desMnated  according  to  the  purpose  of  Him  who  worketh  all  things 
after  the  counsel  of  His  own  will."*  "  Who  hath  saved  us  and 
called  us  with  an  holy  calling,  not  according  to  our  works,  but  ac- 
cording to  His  own  purpose  and  grace,  wliich  was  given  us  in  Jesus 
Christ  before  the  world  began."!  Time  would  fail  me  before  I  had 
done  bringing  forward  Scripture  testimonies  to  the  doctrine  of  elec- 
tion ;  it  is  so  interwoven  with  every  part  of  holy  writ,  that  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  take  every  part  separately  without  impairing  its  effect.  I 
will;  therefore,  only  remark  in  conclusion,  that  our  Lord  uses  the 
term  chosen  ov  elect  no  less  than  ten  limes  in  this  sense  in  the  New 
Testament,  viz.  Matt.  xx.  16  ;  xxii.  14;  xxiv.  31.  Mark  xiii.  20, 
22,  27.  Luke  xviii.  7.  John  xiii.  18 ;  xv.  16,  19  ;  that  it  is  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  the  writings  of  the  Prophets  and  Apostles; 
and  that  the  word  predestinate  is  used  several  times  by  the  Apostle 
Paul.  It  appears  to  me  also  impossible  to  read  the  Gospel  of  St. 
John,  or  tiie  Acts  of  the  Apostles  througl),  without  perceiving  that 
this  doctrine  runs  like  a  rich  vein  through  every  passage.  But 
while  we  are  bound  to  embrace  all  that  the  /Scriptures  teach  on 
this  subject,  we  must  cautiously  guard  against  attempting  to  be 
wise  abooe  what  is  written,  and  we  should  do  well  to  confine  our- 
selves not  only  to  the  sense,  but  as  much  as  possible  to  the  veri/ 
words  of  Scripture ;  lest  we  should  darken  counsel  by  words  with- 
out knowledge. .  Yet  we  must  neither  reject  any  part  of  the  writ- 
ten Word  of  God,  nor  try  to  twist  and  turn  it  so  as  to  make  it 
square  with  our  own  notions.  As  it  stands,  so  we  must  re- 
ceive it:  with  meekness  of  love,  without  partiality,  without  gain- 
saying. 

Many  are  firmly  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  this  doctrine,  who 
yet  shrink  from  declaring  their  conviction  to  others  ;  as  if  some  dan- 
gerous effect  were  to  be  apprehended  from  its  propagation.  The 
folly  of  such  an  apprehension  is  well  pointed  out  in  the  following 
words  of  an  eminent  reformer,  which  I  cannot  forbear  giving,  as 
they  afford  a  specimen  of  the  dignified  simplicity,  sound  judgment, 
and  close  reasoning,  which  shine  in  almost  every  part  of  the  Insti- 
tutes of  Calvin  ;  a  book  which  was  held  in  repute  as  the  finest 
apology  for  Protestantism  that  ever  appeared,  till  the  names  of  Cal- 
vin and  Calvinist  came  to  be  held  up  as  mere  signs  of  a  party  in 
religion.  '  The  Scripture  is  the  school  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  v*'hich 
as  nothing  necessary  and  useful  to  be  known  is  omitted,  so  nothing 
is  taught  which  is  not  beneficial  to  know.  Whatever,  therefore,  is 
declared  in  the  Scripture  concerning  predestinaiioti,  we  must  be 
cautious  not  to  withhold  from  the  faithful,  lest  we  appear  either  to 
defraud  them  of  the  favor  of  their  God,  or  to  reprove  and  censure 
the  Holy  Spirit,  for  pubhshing  what  it  would  be  useful  by  any 
means  to  suppress.  Let  us,  I  say,  permit  the  Christian  man  to 
open  his  heart  and  his  ears  to  all  the  discourses  addressed  to  him  by 

*  Ephes.  i.  3—6,  11. 

t2Tiin.  i.  9.     See  also  Rom.  ix.     ICor.  vi.  11.     Gal.  iv.  6.     I  Thess.  ii.  12  •  iv  7 
2Thess.  i,  1),  12;  ii.  13,  14.     2  Tim.  ii.  19.     Titus  i.  1—3. 

20 


306  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

God ;  only  with  this  moderation,  that  as  soon  as  the  Lord  closes 
His  sacred  mouth  he  shall  also  desist  from  farther  inquiry.  This 
will  be  the  best  barrier  of  sobriety,  if  in  learning  we  not  only  fol- 
low the  leadings  of  God,  but  as  soon  as  He  ceases  to  teach,  we  give 
up  our  desire  of  learning.'  *I  only  desire  this  general  admission, 
that  we  should  never  scrutinize  those  things  which  the  Scriptures 
have  left  concealed,  nor  reject  those  which  are  openly  exhibited. 
For  it  is  judiciously  remarked  by  Augustine,  that  we  may  safely 
follow  the  Scripture,  which  proceeds  like  a  mother  stooping  to  the 
weaknesses  of  a  child,  that  it  may  not  leave  our  weak  capacities 
behind.  But  persons  who  are  so  cautious  or  timid  as  to  wisii  pre- 
destination to  be  buried  in  silence  lest  feeble  minds  should  be  dis- 
turbed, with  what  pretext,  I  ask,  will  they  gloss  over  their  arro- 
gance, which  indirectly  charges  God  with  foolish  inadvertency,  as 
though  He  foresaw  not  the  danger  which  they  suppose  they  have 
the  penetration  to  discover?  Whoever,  therefore,  endeavors  to 
raise  prejudices  against  the  doctrine  of  predestination,  openly  re- 
proaches God,  as  tliough  something  had  inconsiderately  escaped  Him 
that  is  pernicious  to  His  church.' 

I  have  been  induced  to  give  this  extract  at  some  length,  because 
I  never  met  with  so  beautiful  a  description  of  the  sober  spirit  in 
which  the  doctrine  of  election,  and  indeed  every  other  doctrine, 
ought  (o  be  studied.  And  also  because  it  shows  the  extreme  folly 
of  shutting  our  eyes  against  any  revealed  truth,  for  fear  of  its  con- 
sequences. If  "  the  man  of  God"  would  be  "  perfect,  thoroughly 
furnished  unto  all  good  works,"  he  must  study,  with  humble  dili- 
gence, and  receive  with  ready  teachableness,  every  part  of  the  re- 
vealed will  of  God.  '•  For  all  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  far  in- 
struction in  righteousness."* 

And  thus  it  is,  that,  while  the  doctrine  of  predestination  is  death 
to  those  who  weary  themselves  in  presumptuous  disputings  and 
reasonings  about  it,  there  always  have  been  and  will  be  a  happy 
few,  who  humbly  and  sincerely  feeding  upon  it,  receiving  all  that 
the  Scripture  tells  them  concerning  it,  and  desiring  to  know  no 
further,  find  it  health  and  peace  to  their  souls.  It  lays  them  very 
low  at  the  feet  of  their  Redeemer;  brings  down  the  high  swelling 
of  their  pride  and  self-esteem  ;  pulls  away  from  under  them  all  those 
broken  reeds  upon  which  they  had  been  used  to  lean,  self-righte- 
ousness, self-will,  self-dependence  ;  and  leaves  them  no  one  prop  on. 
which  to  lean  for  support,  whilst  coming  up  out  of  this  wihlerness, 
but  the  arm  of  their  beloved — that  everlasting  arm  which  will 
surely  conduct  them  to  glory.  When  that  arm  becomes  shortened 
that  it  cannot  save,  or  weak  that  it  cannot  support ;  when  the  arm 
of  Jesus  fails  and  is  weary  ;  then  they  will  begin  to  look  around 
for  some  other  stay  ;  but  not  till  tlien.  Or  when  they  can  discover 
in  themselves  one  single  good  thing  which  Jesus  did  not  put  there; 
one  reason  why  he  should  visit  them  with  such  amazing  love ; 

•  2  Timothy,  iii.  16,  17. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  307 

then  they  will  conclude  that  His  love  took  its  rise  from  theirs,  not 
theirs  from  His.  But  they  never  will  discovei-  one  such  thin^,  so 
long  as  the  Spirit  of  God  illumines  their  heart,  and  brings  to  light 
its  immense  depravity  and  worthiessness.  Therefore,  as  God's  love 
could  not  have  been  excited  by  any  thing  in  them;  they  believe  it 
to  be  an  eternal  love;  tliat  they  were  called  in  time,  because  they 
were  chosen  from  eternity  ;  and  that  the  name  of  Jesus  is  now  en- 
graven as  a  seal  upon  their  hearts,  because  their  names  were  writ- 
ten on  his  heart  before  ever  the  world  was.  And  when  their 
thoughts  stretch  forward  to  the  end  of  this  pilgrimage,  and  they 
rejoice  in  the  view  of  the  mansions  prepared  for  them  in  their  Fa- 
ther's house,  the  crown  of  that  rejoicing  is  this :  '  we  got  not  the 
land  in  possession  by  our  own  strength,  neither  did  our  own  arm 
save  us,  but  thy  right  hand,  and  thy  arm,  and  the  light  of  thy 
countenance,  because  thou  hadst  a  favor  unto  us.''*  "  Thus  they  re- 
joice in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh  ;"  for  "  God 
is  the  glory  of  their  strength,  and  in  His  favor  their  horn  is  exalted." 

I  cannot  pretend  to  meet  the  objections,  or  to  refute  the  cavils 
commonly  raised,  when  this  doctrine  of  election  is  made  the  sub- 
ject of  discussion  ;  for  I  did  not  learn  it  in  the  way  of  carnal  rea- 
soning?, but  by  simply  taking  the  Scriptures  as  I  found  them,  and 
as  the  Spirit  of  God  enabled  me  to  receive  them.  If  St.  Paul,  after 
descanting  on  this  subject  breaks  off  in  an  ecstasy  of  admiration, 
exclaiming,  "  how  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways 
past  finding  out !"  we  need  not  wonder  if  our  shallow  understand- 
ing are  incapable  of  fathoming,  our  limited  capacities  of  compre- 
hending, our  low  minds  of  reaciiing  them.  We  must  be  satisfied 
with  believing  that  it  is  even  so,  because  '•  so  it  seemed  good  in  our 
Father's  sight,"!  whatever  it  may  appear  in  ours.  This  reason, 
which  appeared  satisfactory  to  our  Saviour,  may  surely  satisfy  us; 
or  if  not,  he  has  vouchsafed  an  assurance,  which  may  well  serve  to 
repress  present  inquiry  into  things  too  high  for  us.  "What  I  do, 
thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter."+ 

That  these  things  are  so,  I  believe,  because  I  find  them  amongst 
the  revealed  things  which  belong  to  us  and  our  children  forever. 
How  or  why  they  are  so,  I  desire  not  too  closely  to  inquire,  lest  I 
should  intrude  into  the  secret  things  which  belong  unto  the  Lord 
our  God.  O  that  he  would  give  unto  every  one  of  us  that  hum- 
ble and  teachable  spirit  with  which  a  little  ignorant  child  is  con- 
tent to  receive  his  father's  lessons,  without  rudely  ©ommenting 
upon  his  father's  ways,  or  rashly  intruding  into  his  father's  se- 
crets !  This  one  thing  we  know,  and  with  this  we  may  be  satis- 
fied :  that  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  cannot  but  do  right.  But  it 
were  preposterous  to  expect  that  he  should  always  do  that  which 
is  right  in  our  eyes,  so  long  as  our  notions  of  right  and  wrong  are 
so  utterly  confused  and  perverted  as  they  have  been  ever  since  the 
fall.  He  himself  tells  us  that  the  Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth ; 
and  that  "  that  which  is  highly  esteemed  among  men  is  abomi- 

♦  Psalm  xliv.  3,  -f  Matt.  xi.  26.  t  •'o'^"  ^"*-  '• 


308  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

nation  in  the  sight  of  GoJ."*  It  cannot  be,  so  long-  as  his  ways  are 
equal,  and  ours  unequal,  that  his  righteous  deahngs  should  be  in 
exact  accordance  with  our  uurighteous  views  and  sentiments.  In- 
stead, then,  of  wearying  ourselves  with  impotent  attempts  to  bring 
down  his  will  and  counsel  to  the  level  of  our  ideas,  our  far  wise'r 
way  will  he,  to  submit  our  thoughts  and  ideas  to  his  will,  assured 
that  it  is  holy,  just,  and  good.  Yet,  since  we  should  be  ready  to 
give  a  reason  for  every  hope  that  is  in  us,  I  will  venture  to  touch 
on  some  of  the  most  hackneyed  objections  to  this  glorious  doctrine; 
and  I  pray  God  that  he  will  help  me  to  show  their  exceeding  van- 
ity and  futility. 

The  objection  most  frequently  urged  against  the  doctrine  of  pre- 
destination is,  that  it  seems  to  charge  the  Almighty  with  injustice 
and  caprice  ;  for  if  the  doom  of  every  person  be  irrevocably  fixed 
before  he  comes  into  the  world,  why  is  he  punished  for  what  he 
cannot  help?  And  is  it  not  accusing  God  of  a  strang-e  partiality, 
to  suppose  him  capable  of  rejecting  some  and  choosing  others,  be- 
fore they  have  done  any  thing  to  draw  down  his  wrath,  or  to  con- 
ciliate his  favor?  Now  to  this  objection,  as  involving  the  honor  of 
his  own  name,  God  himself  has  deigned  to  provide  us  with  a  suffi- 
cient answer.  "  Thou  wilt  then  say  unto  m'\  why  doth  he  yet  tind 
fault?  For  who  hath  resisted  his  will?  Nay— ^but,  O  man,  who 
art  thou  that  repliest  against  God?  Shall  the  thing  formed  say  to 
him  that  formed  it,  why  hast  thou  made  me  thus  ?  Hath  not  the 
potter  power  over  the  clay,  of  the  same  lump  to  make  one  vessel 
unto  honor  and  another  unto  dishonor?  What,  if  God,  willing  to 
show  his  wrath,  and  to  make  his  power  known,  endured  with  much 
long  suffering  the  vessels  of  wrath  fitted  to  destruction  ;  and  that 
he  might  make  known  the  riches  of  his  glory  on  the  vessels  of 
mercy  which  he  had  afore  prepared  unto  glory  ?"t 

The  justice  of  God  in  predestination  would  appear  sufficiently 
clear,  if  we  would  but  take  a  fair  and  impartial  view  of  our  own 
state  by  nature:  that  this  world  is  a  g-uiltt/ and  mined  world; 
and  that  every  creature  born  into  it  has  a  sinful  nature  born  with 
him,  which  lays  him  under  the  just  and  dreadful  sentence  of  eter- 
nal death.  Now,  if  God  foreknew  from  all  eternity,  that  the  chil- 
dren of  men  would  thus  become  the  children  of  wrath — and  de- 
termined from  all  eternity,  to  save  a  remnant  according  to  the  elec- 
tion of  grace  ;  where  is  the  injustice  of  this  proceeding?  Is  it  that 
ne  did  not  (determine  to  save  all,  instead  of  sojne  only  ?  But  alas  ! 
that  all  are  not  saved,  is  a  truth  of  which  even  the  opposers  of 
election  must  acknowledge  their  sad  conviction.  It  is  that  he  was 
influenced  entirely  by  free  and  distinguishing  grace,  that  he  chose 
the  favored  remnant  accordiit^  to  his  counsel  and  will ;  and  not 
on  account  of  any  merit  of  theirs  in  seeking  or  in  serving  Him  ? 
But  where  is  the  distinction  of  merit  to  be  found?  It  exists  no 
where  but  in  the  distempered  imagination  of  men.  This  merit, 
which  men  talk  about,  God  cannot  find  ;  and  he  has  nowhere  ac- 
•  Luke  xvi.  15.        t  Rom.  ix.  19,  23.     Job  xxxii.  13,  13,  23;  xl.  2,  8.     Isaiah  xlv.  9. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  309 

knowledged  its  existence.  For  there  is  no  difference,  "  for  all  have 
sinned:"  "all  the  world  is  guilty  before  God."  We  know  that 
"the  whole  world  lieth  in  wickedness."*  It  appears  then  that 
whether  we  uphold  or  oppose  the  doctrine  of  predestination,  we 
must  agree  in  acknowledging  that  all  men  are  not  saved.  And  if 
this  be  the  case — if  God  have  determined  to  save  someivom  wrath  ; 
and  if,  for  reasons  to  us  inscrutable,  he  have  determined  not  to  save 
all ;  by  what  motive,  I  ask,  could  his  choice  be  directed  where  all 
are  equally  gnilty  ;  .\ll,  like  sheep,  have  gone  astray?  where 
none  can  repent  or  turn  to  Him,  unless  He  gives  the  grace  to  do 
so;  and  what  is  that  but  choosing  them  .^  Reason  itself  tells  us 
that  the  Scripture  account  of  this  mystery  can  alone  be  the  true 
one — viz.,  "  that  God  has  mercy  on  whom  he  ivill  have  mercy  ;" 
"  that  he  has  compassion  on  whom  he  will  have  compassion." 
That  "it  is  not  of  him  that  willeth,  nor  of  him  that  runneth  ;  but 
of  God  that  showeth  niercy.''''  That  God  begets  us  of  his  own 
will.  That  the  saints  are  elect  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of 
God.  That  they  are  predestinated  unto  the  adoption  of  children 
by  Jesus  Christ  unto  himself:  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of 
his  will :  "being  predestinated  according  to  the  purpose  of  Him 
who  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  ■will.''''  Thus 
much  we  knoiv,  because  thus  much  is  revealed  to  us  it)  the  oracles 
of  truth.  But  at  this  point  we  must  stay  our  inquiries.  For  we 
are  as  incapable  of  entering  into  the  reasons  of  God's  dealing  with 
us,  any  farther  than  he  has  deigned  to  unfold  them,  as  an  infant 
is  to  enter  into  the  counsels  of  a  full  grown  man.  Yes  ;  and  a  great 
deal  more  so.  For  the  one  is  but  the  difference  between  the  finite 
and  finite — between  worm  and  worm  ;  but  this  is  the  difference 
between  finite  and  infinite — between  the  worm  and  God, 

The  case,  plainly  stated,  appears  to  be  this.  All  are  sinners. 
Not  only  so;  but  all  love  sin,  and  drink  up  iniquity  like  water. 
All  say  in  their  hearts  to  God — "  depart  from  us,  for  we  desire  not 
the  knowledge  of  thy  ways."t  Therefore  every  individual  of  the 
human  race,  without  one  single  exception,  is  in  a  slate  of  condemna- 
tion before  God — a  state  from  which  he  has  neither  the  power  nor 
the  willio  extricate  himself.  The  lohole  icorldUeih  in  wickedness — 
it  lieth  under  the  curse,  and  most  justly  deserveth  the  curse  which 
God  has  pronounced  against  '■'■  eoery  one  who  continueth  not  in  all 
things  that  are  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them."+  The 
whole,  therefore,  of  Adam's  race,  considered  as  sinners,  may  be  con- 
sidered as,  by  nature,  in  a  state  of  reprobation.  But  blessed  forever 
be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  He  would  not  display 
his  justice  in  the  destruction  of  a  whole  world  of  sinners.  He  de- 
termined to  show  also  the  riches  of  his  glory  on  certain  vessels  of 
mercy,  whom  he  had  afore  prepared  unto  glory.  He  chose  some  of 
those  worthless  and  guilty  things,  called  men,  the  vessels  of  his 
mercy.  He  chose  these  children  of  wrath  to  become  the  children 
of  grace.     He  chose  them  in  Christ  Jesus  long  before  the  founda- 

*  Rom.  iii.  19,  22,  23.     1  John  i.  10.  f  Job.  xxi.  14.  %  ^al.  iii.  10. 


310  ON   ELECTING   GRACE. 

tion  of  the  world,  he  has  been  calling  those  chosen  vessels  (as  the 
time  appointed  for  each  came)  out  from  this  world  ;  giving  iiis  Son 
to  redeem,  and  his  Spirit  to  sanctify  them,  and  himself  to  be  their 
portion  forever.  Does  tliis  wonderful  display  of  His  mercy  upon  a 
part  of  Adam's  hell-deserving  race,  take  way  his  right  of  executing 
justice  upon  the  remainder  of  that  race  ?  Should  we  say,  why 
did  he  not  pardon  all,  when  we  ought  to  be  amazed  at  His  mercy 
in  not  having  condemned  all  ?  It  is  of  his  mercies  that  we  are  not 
all  consumed:  well  may  it  be  asked,  who  are  we  that  we  stand 
thus  replying  against  God?  When  all  are  as  brands  Jit  for  l/ie 
burning  :  if  God  chose  to  pluck  some  as  brands  out  of  the  fire,  shall 
we  say  that  this  act  of  mercy  renders  less  just  tlie  destruction  of 
those  who  are  left  7 

Mercy  is  offered  to  all,  (at  least  in  Christian  lands ;)  but  such  is 
the  desperate  mahgnily  of  sin,  such  is  the  enmity  of  the  heart  to 
God,  that  all,  if  left  to  their  own  free  loill  (as  it  is  called,)  would 
shut  their  ears  and  hearts  against  every  overture  of  reconciliation. 
God,  by  his  special  grace,  opens  the  ears  and  hearts  of  a  chosen 
remnant,  to  attend  to  and  embrace  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation. 
They  come  to  Jesus,  because  the  Father  draws  them ;  and  because 
they  come.  He  saves  them  to  the  uttermost.  Does  all  this  dimin- 
ish the  wickedness  of  those  who  do  not  come?  or  detract  from 
God's  justice  in  punishing  them  for  not  coming?  He  sends  his  Sou 
to  man  with  the  largest  proffi.'rs  of  mercy.  His  long-suffering  en- 
dures them,  spares  them,  waits  upon  them,  till  it  lias  been  proved 
to  men  and  angels,  that  such  is  the  perverseness  of  man's  ivill  that 
he  loill  not  accept  of  life.  Then  He  gives  them  over  to  the  natu- 
ral and  necessary  consequences  of  their  own  choice.  But  all  are 
not  thus  given  over:  a  remnant,  a  seed  is  chosen  in  Christ,  in 
whom,  to  show  forth  his  own  glory,  he  subdues  the  rebellious  will, 
takes  away  the  natural  equity,  and  accepts  them,  not  for  their  own 
sake,  but  for  Christ's. 

To  sum  up  what  has  been  said,  the  condemnation  of  mankind 
is  a  just  and  deserved  condemnation  ;  the  salvation  of  the  rem- 
nant chosen  out  from  mankind  is  [xfree  and  undeserved  salvation. 
Every  man  shall  ha.ve  perfect  justice  done  to  him  ;  and  if  in  the 
case  of  some,  justice  and  mercy  have  met  together,  let  no  one 
dare  to  murmur,  for  God  has  a  right  to  do  what  he  will  with  his 
own. 

If,  after  all  these  considerations,  the  doctrine  of  electi6n  still  seems 
to  imply  injustice  and  partiality  in  God's  dealings  toward  us,  I  would 
ask,  is  there  any  other  scheme  upon  which  his  dealings  can  be  made 
less  mysterious  and  inexplicable?  Are  the  difficulties  which  sur- 
round predestination  more  insurmountable  than  those  which  pre- 
sent themselves  in  every  part  of  the  providential  dispensations  of 
God?  Might  not  the  same  temper  which  objects  to  the  electing 
grace  of  God,  carp  also  at  his  injustice  and  partiality  in  revealing 
to  England  the  abundance  of  light  and  truth,  while  he  has  left  so 
many  dark  places  in  the  earth  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty? 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  311 

Might  not  such  persons  arraign  his  equity  in  giving  to  some  every 
possible  advantage  of  a  religious  education,  and  leaving  others  to 
every  possible  disadvantage  of  an  irrehgious  one  ?  Or  (for  there 
are  no  bounds  to  the  presumptous  spirit  of  inquiry)  why  do  ihey 
not  at  once  take  the  Ahnighty  to  task  for  iiaving  suffered  evil  to 
get  into  the  world  at  all  ?  For  it  is  certain  than  evil  has  got  into 
the  world  ;  and  its  existence  is,  after  all,  the  great  difficulty  ;  of 
which  the  opposers  of  predestination  can  give  us  no  better  account 
than  the  believers  in  this  doctrine  are  able  to  do;  for  we  know  noth- 
ing but  what  the  Scriptures  have  revealed  to  us  ;  and  if  they  have 
not  gone  back  to  the  origin  of  evil,  the  reason  must  be,  that  instruc- 
tion on  that  point  was  not  necessary  for  us. 

But  I  stop  ;  he  that  reproveth  God,  let  him  answer  it.  All  these 
mysteries  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  referring  them  to  the  inscru- 
table mystery  of  God's  predestination.  To  the  eye  of  carnal  rea- 
son they  lie  involved  in  the  thickest  obscurity ;  but  the  eye  of  faith 
sees  in  them  no  darkness  at  all.  For  faith,  instead  of  vainly  striv- 
ing to  pull  these  things  down  to  the  level  of  reason,  so  far  above 
reason  ;  resolves  every  difficulty  into  the  gracious  will  or  wise  per- 
mission of  God,  and  seeks  to  know  no  farther.  How  many  things 
are  there  which  I  know  not,  nor  can  by  any  searching  find  out  to 
perfection  !  But  Jestis  knows  them  all.  With  this  assurance  I  sit 
down  fully  satisfied.  He  will  teach  them  to  me  hereafter,  as  I  am 
able  to  bear  it.  In  the  meantime  I  will  trust,  and  not  be  afraid. 
All  (hat  my  God  says  to  me  I  will  implicitly  beheve,  for  I  know 
that  every  word  of  God  is  pure.  "  All  the  words  of  his  mouth  are 
in  righteousness  :  there  is  notliing  froward  or  perverse  in  them  : 
they  are  all  plain  to  him  that  unders(andeth,and  right  to  them  that 
find  knowledge."*  When  I  come  to  see  God  as  he  is,  and  to  know 
as  I  myself  am  known,  I  shall  find  that  all  these  mysteries  of  his 
word  and  will  were  only  'dark  with  excessive  light.'  In  the  mean- 
time, till  I  have  the  eagle  eye  that  can  gaze  undazzled  at  his  glo- 
ries, I  will  view  them  at  humble  distance  through  the  glass  of 
faith,  which  he  has  given  me  for  this  purpose  ;  nor  will  I  dare  to 
repine,  because  '•!  can  only  see  them  in  a  glass  darkly."t  Thus 
faith  removes  every  objection,  stills  every  murmur,  and  silences 
every  doubtful  thought.  I  have  dwelt  the  longer  upon  this  sub- 
ject, from  a  conviction  that  the  grand  reason  with  most  people  for 
rejecting  the  doctrine  of  election,  is,  not  that  they  cannot  find  it 
m  the  Bible,  but  that  being  unable  to  reconcile  it  to  their  own  pre- 
conceived and  imperfect  notions  of  equity  and  fitness,  they  come 
to  the  Bible  ^jredetermined  not  to  find  it  there. 

But  another,  and  a  heavy  charge  too,  is  brought  against  this  doc- 
trine :  that  it  encourages  people  to  continue  in  sin.  The  same 
charge  was  brought  against  free  grace  in  the  days  of  the  Apostle 
Paul;  and  is  answered  fully  in  (he  sixth  chapter  of  his  epistle  to 
the  Romans.  See  also  Rom.  iii.  8,  31.  It  cannot  be  denied  (hat 
there  are  some  wretched  persons  who  turn  the  grace  of  God  into 
♦  Prov.  viii.  8,  9.  -)■  1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 


312  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

licentiousness ;  but  it  is  the  ff race  of  God  for  all  that,  and,  as  such, 
caiinot  have  aii  unholy  tendency.  We  are  not  the  less  commanded 
to  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free,  be- 
cause some  use  this  liberty  only  as  an  occasion  to  the  flesh,  only 
for  a  cloak  of  maliciousness.  Such  persons  would  suck  poison  and 
death  from  the  very  tree  of  life.  But  real  believers  in  the  doctrine 
of  election,  I  mean  those  who  derive  their  ideas  on  it  from  the  Bi- 
ble only,  and  measure  every  thing"  by  this  standard,  have  not  so 
learned  Christ.  I'hey  know  that  "  God  hath  not  called  them  to 
uncleanness,  but  to  holiness."*  They  know  that  "  whom  God  fore- 
knew, he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  inia^^e  of  Ids 
Son  ;"t  and  therefore  they  search  themselves  daily,  to  see  whether 
this  pure — this  holy  imag-e  be  forming  in  their  hearts.  They  know 
that  if  God  "  chose  them  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  :"  it 
was  "  that  they  might  be  holy  and,  without  blame  before  him  in 
love  ;"+  and  therefore  they  are  encouraged  to  be  importunate  with 
him  for  more  of  that  holy,  blameless,  and  loving  temper,  to  which 
he  has  chosen  them.  Thus  tliey  have  "  the  witness  in  them- 
selves :"§  they  have  "the  earnest  of  the  Spirit:'!  they  know  that 
they  are  sons,  "  because  God  has  sent  forth  the  spirit  of  his  Son 
into  their  hearts  :"'^  they  know  Gad's  love  to  them — by  their  love 
to  Him.  They  look  upon  their  own  good  works  as  the  fruit  of 
God's  electing  love — not  as  the  root  from  whence  it  sprang ;  and 
far  from  considering  them  as  any  part  of  the  payment  of  their 
mighty  debt,  they  receive  them  as  a  fresh  load  of  obligation,  for 
which  they  will  still  be  owing  him  more  and  more  to  all  eternity. 
Yet  they  know  full  well  that  good  works  are  necessary  as  the  evi- 
dences of  their  eleclion  ;  for  how  can  they  tell  that  Clirist  abideth 
in  them  except  by  the  spirit  which  he  has  given  them  ?  In  propor- 
tion then  as  they  find  their  hearts  panting  after  holiness,  in  that 
very  proportion  they  are  enabled  to  maintain  the  sweet  assurance 
that  God  has  chosen  them  to  be  partakers  of  his  holiness.  Thus 
they  give  all  diligence  to  make  their  calling  and  election  sure  :  that 
is,  not  to  viake  God  sure  whether  he  lalll  elect  and  call  them  ;  but 
to  tnake  themselves  sure  whether  God  has  elected  and  called  them. 
Nearly  allied  to  this  objection,  is  one  raised  by  many  against  the 
doctrine  of  election,  that  it  either  lifts  men  up  with  an  over-ween- 
ing arrogance  and  presumption  ;  or  else  causes  them  to  sink  into 
the  depths  of  despair.  But  when  a  poor  sinful  creature  feels  his 
heart  running  over  with  sorrow  for  sin.  and  desires  after  holiness  ; 
when  his  soul,  once  taken  up  with  the  world,  is  now  absorbed  in 
the  love  of  Jesus,  so  as  to  desire  nothing  besides  him  in  heaven  or 
in  earth  :  whether  is  it  more  arrogant  to  say,  I  turned  myself  ixova 
sin  unto  God  ;  or  to  say,  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  turned  me  / 
To  say,  I  myself  fioughi  God  out  and  chose  him,  and  therefore  he 
accepted  me  ;  or  to  say,  God  sought  me  out  because  he  had  chosen 
me  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the  world  began  ;  and,  therefore^  I  am 

*  1  Thess.  iv.  7.  t  ^o'"-  ^'»  2f>.  :j:  Ephes.  i.  4. 

§  1  John.  V.  10.  II  2  Cor.  i.  22;  v.  5.  IT  Gal.  iv.  6. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  313 

now  enabled  to  seek  and  choose  liini?  And  as  every  redeemed 
sinners  knows  that  the  love  he  feels  in  his  heart  to  God  was  none 
of  his  own  implanting:  for  all  that  he  conld  produce  was  only  en- 
mity and  more  enmity:  is  it  so  very  presumptuous  to  conclude, 
that  he  loves  God,  because  God  first  loved  liim?  Rather,  would 
it  not  be  the  height  of  presumption  to  contradict  Scripture  and 
conunon  sense,  by  making  the  opposite  conchision?  And,  if  we 
allow  the  truth  of  St.  John's  assertion,  that  if  v:e  love  God,  it  is 
because  he  first  loved  us — whence  shall  we  date  the  co«?,/7ie?/ceme7i^ 
of  this  love  7  Was  it  some  sudden  impulse  that  came  into  liis  mind 
unawares  and  unforeknown^  as  human  imaginations  arise?  Did 
it  begin  at  our  birth,  or  spring  up  at  (he  moment  of  our  conversion  7 
What!  could  not  Omniscieiice  foreknow  the  objects  of  his  love? 
Must  he  wait  till  the  work  of  his  own  hands  is  brought  upon  the 
stage  of  existence,  before  he  can  tell  how  it  will  turn  out?  or 
whether  he  is  making  a  vessel  to  honor,  or  one  to  dishonor  ?  a  vessel 
of  mercy,  or  a  vessel  of  wrath  ?  Will  those,  who  charge  behevers  in 
election  with  arrogance,  explain  how  they  themselves,  without  the 
greatest  arrogance,  can  assert  that  Omniscience  cannot,  or  will  not 
foresee ;  and  that  Omnipotence  cannot  or  will  not  decide  the  fate 
of  His  own  creatures  7  For,  if  we  love  God  because  he  first 
loved  us,  and  if  this  love  of  His  was  not  from  all  eternity^  then 
there  must  be  a  time  when  he  did  not  love  us  :  that  is,  (here  must  have 
been  a  time  when  either  the  mind  of  tlic  unchang-eable  God.  was 
difi'erent  from  what  it  is  now  ;  or  else  a  time  when  the  Almighty 
and  All'Icnoiving  God  could  noi  foresee  the  objects  of  his  favor ; 
or  was  unable  to  make  up  his  mind  whether  he  would  love  them 
or  not.  The  difficulties,  which  absurdities  like  these  present  on 
every  side,  are  far  greater,  and  consequently  far  more  dangerous, 
than  those  which  attend  the  plain  Bible  truth,  that  "it  is  not  of 
him  that  willeth,  nor  of  him  that  runneth,  but  of  God  that  show- 
eth  mercy:"  and  that  the  saints  were  chosen  in  Christ  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  As  long  as  1  have  the  Bible  in  my  hand. 
I  cannot  think  the  thoughts  and  counsels  of  the  Eternal  are  the 
mere  creatures  of  a  day  ;  the  offspring  of  time  and  cliance,  veering 
about  with  every  change  of  our  most  changeable  hearts.  I  must 
conclude  that,  like  their  Supreme  Author  they  stretch  from  eter- 
nity to  eternity :  and  it  is  only  the  belief  that  they  were  ihus/rom 
everlastings  that  emboldens  me  to  hope  that  they  will  stand  firm 
to  everlasting.  Again,  is  it  more  arrogant  to  say  that  God's  love 
to  us  took  its  origin  from  any  good  thing  perceived  or  foreseen  in 
us  ;  or  to  say  that  every  good  thing  that  ever  has  appeared,  or  shall 
appear  in  us,  takes  its  origin  from  this  infinite — this  eternal — this 
incomprehensible  love  of  God  ?  I  desire  indeed  no  other  account 
of  the  connection  subsisting  between  God's  love  to  me,  and  mine  to 
Him,  than  that  which  He  has  himself  vouchsafed  to  give :  '•  I  have 
loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love  :  therefore  with  loving-kindness 
have  I  drawn  thee."* 

*  Jer.  xxxi.  3. 


314  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

How  can  a  doctrine  be  said  lo  encourage  presumption  and  arro- 
gance, wliicli  strips  off  every  pretension  to  assist  in  saving  ourselves, 
and  sen Js  us  naked,  empty,  and  helpless  to  the  cross  of  Cinist ; 
leaving  us  no  plea,  except  His  free  unmerited  grace  and  mercy? 
What  more  humbling,  than  a  doctrine  which  is  perpetually  remind- 
ing us,  "Who  maketh  thee  to  dilfer  from  another?"  and  "what 
hasi.  thou  that  thou  didst  not  receive?  Now,  if  thou  didst  re- 
ceive it,  why  dost  thou  glory  as  if  thou  hadst  not  received  it?"* 
But  the  great  charge  against  believers  in  predestination  seems  to  be 
that  they  think  themselves  predestined  to  salvation,  and  adjudge 
all  the  rest  of  the  world  to  eternal  misery.  God  forbid  !  they  dare 
not  take  upon  themselves  to  judge  others  ;  yea,  they  judge  not 
their  own  selves,  except  by  that  unerring  word  which  God  has 
given  them  for  this  purpose  : — (of  course,  I  oidy  speak  of  sincere 
Christians  ;  false  professors  will  pervert  this,  as  well  as  every  other 
doctrine.)  It  is  true,  that  many  happy  souls  are  enabled  to  triumph 
in  full  assurance  of  faith  ;  and  to  say  with  St.  Paul,  "  Who  loved 
me,  and  gave  himself  for  '/ne."t  But  these,  as  I  have  before  said, 
venture  to  think  themselves  the  elect  people  of  God,  only  because 
they  find  the  character  of  God's  elect  deeply  engraven  on  their 
hearts.  "They  cry  unto  him  night  and  day."t  They  love  much, 
whence  arises  a  sure  and  well-founded  hope  that  much  has  been 
forgiven  them.  But  this  very  circumstance  forbids  them  to  de- 
spair of  others.  Set  before  thein  the  vilest,  the  most  hardened  sin- 
ner ;  such  a  one  as  the  righteous  and  moral  of  this  world  would 
separate  from  their  company;  and  they  would  say,  'But  for  the 
free  mercy  of  God,  I  had  been  as  vile  as  he.  Never  was  there  a 
darker,  or  a  colder,  or  a  harder  heart,  than  mine  was  by  nature. 
If  then  God  has  shined  into  my  dark  heart,  made  my  cold  heart  to 
burn  with  love,  melted  my  heart  into  a  willing  obedience;  why 
may  I  not  hope  that  He  will  do  the  same  far  this  poor  sitmer  be- 
fore me?  Divine  grace  has  not  yet  called  him,  but  it  may  do  so 
this  very  day  :  nay,  who  knows  but  God  may  have  appointed  me 
to  be  the  happy,  humble  instrument  of  his  conversion?  Therefore 
I  will  use  every  means,  though  it  may  seem  as  hopeless  as  Ezekiel's 
preaching  to  the  dry  bones.  I  will  plant  and  water,  for  though  / 
cannot  connnand  an  increase,  God  can.h  In  the  morning  I  will 
sow  my  seed,  and  in  the  evenmg  I  will  not  withhold  my  hand,  for 
I  know  not  which  means  shall  prosper,  this  or  that,  or  whether  my 
God  will  bless  both  alike. II 

Thus,  far  from  causing  us  to  despair  of  the  salvation  of  others, 
or  to  be  careless  in  using  every  means  of  doing  tiiem  good,  this  be- 
lief in  God's  electing  love,  is  the  only  thing  that  can  set  us  to  work 
with  any  rational  hope  of  success.  For  if  the  changing  of  a  sin- 
ner's heart  depend  upon  our  own  exertions,  or  upon  His  disposition  to 
benefit  by  our  persuasion  :  the  task  of  addressing  him  will  be  a 
hopeless  and  a  thankless  one  indeed.     But  if  God  have  from  the 

*  1  Cor.  iv.  7.  t  Gal.  ii.  20.  f  Luke  xviii.  7. 

^  1  Rom.  iii.  G,  7.  II  Eccl.  xi.  6. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  315 

beginning  chosen  that  sinner  unto  salvation,  (and  we  have  no 
right  to  infer  otherwise)  he  has  also  appointed  the  means  whereby 
this  salvation  siiall  be  e.Tected,  and  those  means  shall  be  blessed, 
though  every  human  probability  be  against  them.  Let  not  then  a 
doclrine  be  denounced  as  uncharitable,  which  excites  its  followers 
to  be  always  abounding  in  every  labor  of  love,  by  the  certain  as- 
rance  it  affords  them,  ihat  their  labor  shall  not  be  vain  in  the 
Lord.  It  must  not  be  denied  that  they  are  afraid  to  give  flattering 
titles,  or  to  appear  to  think  well  of  the  spiritual  condition  of  those 
in  whom,  as  yet,  they  can  perceive  none  of  the  things  which  ac- 
company salvation.  To  be  thus  saying,  '  Peace,  peace,'  when  there 
is  no  peace,  is  what  the  world  calls  being  very  kind  and  charita- 
ble: but  the  Bible  calls  it  "haling  our  brother  in  our  heart."* 
This  charily,  so  liighly  esteemed  among  men,  is  abomination  in  the 
sight  of  God.  But  that  love,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  sheds  abroad 
in  the  hearts  of  his  people,  constrains  them  to  overstep  the  narrow 
bounds  of  worldly  kindness  and  courtesy.  It  causes  rivers  of 
waters  to  run  down  their  eyes,  for  those  who  keep  not  God's  law. 
And  while  they  weep  and  pray  for  them,  they  dare  not  but  tell  them 
of  their  danger.  But  do  they  urge  them  to  despair  ?  Far,  far 
from  it.  To  despair  indeed  of  help  from  themselves,  from  every 
thing  short  of  Jesus  Christ ;  but  not  to  despair  of  His  willingness  tot 
receive  and  pardon  them  !  They  tell  sinners  that  His  arms  are  wide 
open  to  embrace  all  who  come  to  him,  and  they  lift  up  their  pray- 
ers unto  God,  that  he  would  make  them  come  to  Jesus.  They  tell 
theiTi  that  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost ;  that  with  him  there 
is  plenteous  redemption  ;  that  he  waits  to  be  gracious.  Yes,  they 
beseech  them  in  Christ's  name  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  Nor  do 
they  beseech  the  less  fervently,  because  they  know  that  the  grace  of 
God  alone  can  give  effect  to  their  persuasions.  Not  the  less  ear- 
nestly do  they  assure  sinners,  that  there  is  mercy  for  them,  if  they 
will  lout  lay  hold  on  it;  grace  for  them,  if  they  will  but  ask  for  it; 
grace  to  pardon  all  their  sins,  and  to  subdue  them  ;  but  not  grace 
to  pardon  sin  without  subduing  it:  this  they  dare  not  say;  and 
therefore  it  is,  that  the  very  same  persons  who  charge  them  with 
holding  doctrines  which  tend  to  encourage  sin,  will  often,  by  a  strange 
inconsistency,  accuse  them  of  unnecessary  strictness  and  moroseness 
in  decrying  the  innocent  pleasures  of  the  world.  As  if  the  pleasures 
of  a  world  lying  in  wickedness  could  be  altogether  innocent;  or  as 
if  they  could  afford  any  real  enjoyment  to  a  soul  which  daily  quenches 
its  thirst  at  a  fountain  of  delights  which  the  world  knows  not  of — 
a  soul  possessing  spiritual  tastes  and  desires  :  in  short  "  which  is  not 
of  the  world,  even  as  Jesus  was  not  of  the  world. "t 

We  now  come  to  the  remaining  part  of  the  above-mentioned 
charge  against  election,  viz.,  that  it  drives  people  to  despair.  A 
wnong  and  carnal  view  of  it  may  ;  but  a  right  and  spiritual  recep- 
tion of  it  is  the  surest  preservative  against  despair.  For  if  God  is 
to  love  us  for  something  in  ourselves,  sure  I  am,  that  he  will  never 
*  Lev.  xix.  17.  t  .Tohn  xvii.  16. 


ON    EXPECTING    GRACE. 


love  U3  at  all :  for  ia  us  dwelleth  no  good  thing.  But  if  he  loves 
us  according  to  his  own  good  will  and  pleasure,  then  is  our  eternal 
happiness  secure.  Again,  if  we  come  to  Jesus  of  oursp.lves,  1  see 
no  reason  to  hops  tiiat  we  shall  endure  unto  tiie  end.  The  frailty 
and  inconsistency  of  our  nature  render  it  more  than  probable  that 
we  shall  again  go  away  from  him.  Ai»J  thus  this  everlasting  love, 
if  it  depend  on  our  conduct,,  must  vary  according  to  our  changeable 
atfectijns ;  and  that  Jesus,  who  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
forever,  may  love  us  one  day,  and  cast  us  olf  the  next ;  may  be 
disposed  this  day  to  say  to  us,  "come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father," 
and  the  very  next  day  may  frown  us  from  his  presence  with  "de- 
part, ye  cursed."  Is  not  this  discouraging?  On  the  other  hand, 
if  we  come  to  Jesus,  because  the  Father  hath  given  us  to  Jesus, 
and  himself  draws  us  to  Jesus,  then  we  may  be  assured  that  he  will 
hold  us  fast  to  the  end ;  for  he  who  is  the  truth  has  declared  that, 
"of  all  whom  the  Father  hath  given  him  he  will  not  lose  one,  but 
will  raise  them  up  again  at  the  last  day."* 

When  any  one  feels  his  heart  drawn  in  strong  desires  after  God, 
what  can  be  more  contrary  toilespair  than  a  doctrine  which  teaches 
him  to  believe  that  he  never  could  have  been  thus  drawn,  unless  God 
had  loved  him  with  an  everlasting  love?  If,  indeed,  believers  in 
election  professed  to  pry  inio  the  secrets  of  futurity ;  to  open  the 
Lajnb's  book  of  life,  and  tell  which  names  are  written  there,  and 
which  are  blotted  thence;  such  unwarrantable  presumption  would 
lead  to  the  most  frigluful  consequences.  But  on  the  contrary, 
they  well  know  that  they  camiot  say  of  the  vilest  sinner,  this  man 
is  not  a  chosen  vessel  unto  the  Lord  ;  therefore  they  hope  against 
hope,  and  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God,  they  go  on,  regardless 
of  every  discouragement,  inviting  sinners  to  come  to  Him,  and  as- 
suring them  that  "  whosoever  will,  may  come  and  take  of  the  water 
of  life  freely."t 

Feebly  as  I  have  handled  this  intensely  interesting  subject,  I  trust 
I  have  said  enough  to  prove  that  the  doctrine  of  predestination,  if 
we  cleave  simply  to  the  Scripture  statement  concerning  it,  does  not 
draw  after  it  all  the  train  of  evils  which  have  been  represented  as 
its  necessary  consequences;  that  it  involves  no  injustice  on  the  part 
of  God  ;  that  it  neither  drives  men  into  licentiousness,  presumption, 
uncharitableness,  nor  despair.  On  the  contrary,  that  a  simple  re- 
ception of  it  tends  to  stop  every  cavil  against  God's  justice  ;  affords 
the  strongest  incentives  to  holiness  and  self-abasement ;  and  is 
rather  fitted  to  fill  the  bosom  with  the  sweetest  hope,  than  to  render 
it  the  gloomy  abode  of  despair. 

But  supposing  even  that  no  satisfactory  answer  could  be  found 
to  these  and  other  objections,  still  it  is  our  duty  as  believers  in  the 
Bible  ever  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  most  plausible  objections  against 
a  doctrine  do  by  no  means  amount  to  a  refutation  of  its  truth. 
For  "  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  are  foolishness  to  the  natural 
man,"  and  even  those  who  are  in  some  degree  spiritual,  must  often 
*  John  vi.  39.  t  ^^ev.  xxii.  17. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  317 

feel  that  they  are  hut  "fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  understand"  the 
deep  counsels  of  God.  The  real  question  then  for  our  considera- 
tion, as  believers  in  the  truth  of  God's  word,  is  not,  whether  a  doc- 
trine be  liable  to  this  or  that  objection  ;  but  whether  it  be,  or  be 
not  clearly  revealed  in  that  word.  If  it  be  not  a  part  of  the  will 
of  God  revealed  to  us  in  the  Scriptures,  then  must  it  be  utterly  ab- 
horred and  rejected,  thougli  an  angel  from  heaven  were  lo  preach 
it  to  us.  But  if  the  doctrine  be  plainly  laid  down,  and  strongly 
insisted  on  in  the  Bible,  what  signify  objections,  and  dreaded  con- 
sequences 7  All  that  is  in  God's  word  we  are  bound  to  receive  and 
teach,  without  fear  of  consequences.  The  truths  which  God  has  not 
scrupled  to  reveal,  we  need  not  scruple  to  embrace,  nay,  we  must 
embrace  them  with  meekness  and  affection  ;  as  a  part  of  that  in- 
grafted word  which  is  able  to  save  our  souls.  We  may  safely  leave 
the  consequences  to  Him.  He  is  abundantly  able  without  our  help 
to  provide  against  any  evil  results  that  may  ensue  from  a  doctrine 
of  his  own  revealing.     Let  us  not  seek  to  be  wiser  than  God. 

To  conclude ;  we  contend  not  for  the  doctrine  of  election,  as  held 
by  this  or  that  particular  sect ;  or  even  as  handed  down  to  us  in  the 
strong  and  beautiful  language  of  the  reformers  of  our  church  ;  but 
simply  and  solely  as  it  is  set  forth  in  the  very  words  of  the  oracles 
of  God,  that  is,  in  the  words  of  God  himself.  We  cannot  be  too 
careful  to  expound  our  views  of  this  doctrine,  in  the  very  words, 
as  well  as  according  to  the  exact  sense  of  Scripture :  then,  if  any 
differ,  and  would  convince  us  of  error,  they  must  find  some  other 
Scriptures,  in  which  the  truths  contained  in  ours  are  omitted.  For 
let  it  be  remembered,  that  as  long  as  we  keep  close  to  the  Bible,  we 
are  not  answerable  for  the  objections  that  may  be  made  against  the 
Bible.  If  the  doctrine  can  be  proved  to  be  there,  that  ought  abun- 
dantly to  suthce  for  the  conviction  of  those  who  believe  that  all 
Scripture  was  written  by  the  inspiration  of  God.  When  God 
speaks,  man's  part  is  to  submit,  not  to  object.  To  oppose  or  deny 
any  thing  that  is  revealed  in  God's  word,  is  to  make  God  a  liar. 
To  cavil  or  murmur  at  it,  is  to  rebel  against  God.  To  be  ashamed 
or  afraid  of  it,  is  to  call  in  question  the  goodness  and  wisdom  of 
God  in  revealing  it.  To  receive  it  as  little  children,  and  humbly 
pray  for  light  to  understand  it,  is  the  way  to  become  wise  unto 
salvation.  Let  those  who  profess  to  believe  the  Bible,  instead  of 
wearying  themselves  with  carnal  reasonings  for  and  against  the 
doctrine  of  predestination,  meekly  consult  their  Bibles,  and  see 
whether  the  doctrine  be  there  or  not.  And  may  the  Spirit  of  truth 
lead  them  into  the  saving  knowledge  of  this  and  every  other  truth, 
for  His  mercies'  sake  in  Christ  Jesus  ! 

It  was  my  intention  to  have  concluded  this  little  treatise  with  a 
few  words  on  the  final  perseverance  of  God's  elect :  but  this  doc- 
trine is  so  clearly  implied  in  that  of  predestination,  that  it  seems 
unnecessary  to  dwell  on  it  very  largely.  For  it  is  impossible  to 
conceive  that  God  will  cast  off  in  time  those  whom  He  has  chosen 
from  eternity.     Perseverance  is  a  necessary  consequence  of  predes- 


318  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

lination,  and  accordingly  we  find  that  the  Scriptures  generally 
mention  them  in  connection  with,  and  in  dependence  on,  each 
other.  It  is  thus  clearly  expressed  in  John  vi.  37.  39,  44,  65,  '-no 
man  can  come  to  me  except  the  Father  which  hatii  sent  me  draw 
him  ;  except  it  were  given  him  of  my  Father.  All  that  the  Fa- 
ther giveih  me  shall  come  to  me.  Tliis  is  the  Fathers  will  which 
hath  sent  me,  tiiat  of  all  lohich  he  hath  fficen 'm,e  I  should  lose 
nothing:,  but  should  raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  dayP  Again, 
John  XV.  16,  '■'•ye  Jiave  not  chosen  me,  hut  1  have  chosen  you.,  that 
ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit :"  here  is  election  :  "  and  that 
your  fruit  should  remain  f^  here  is  perseverance.  "Moreover, 
whom  \ie  A\\\ -predestinate^  i\\en\  he  also  called:  and  whom  He 
called,  them  He  also  justified  :  and  whom  He  justified,  them  He  also 
glorified."*  So  then,  if  there  be  truth  in  God's  word,  those  who  are 
predestinated,  are  in  every  instance,  without  exception,  called,  jus- 
tified, and  finally  glorified  ;  and  this  could  not  be,  if  they  did  not 
persevere  to  the  last ;  for  he  only  that  •'  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be 
saved. "t  Indeed,  how  absurd,  how  impossible  ii  is  to  separate  these 
two  truths  !  For  if  the  saints  are  thus  elect  according  to  the  fore- 
knowledge of  God;  and  if  they  are  yet  subject  to  fall  away,  and 
perish  at  the  last :  then  is  the  foreknowledge  of  God  subject  to  fail ; 
and  his  predestination  or  purpose  from  all  eternity,  to  be  frustrated. 
We  may  therefore  comfort  our  souls  in  the  full  assurance  "  that 
faithful  is  he  that  calleth  us,  who  also  will  do  it."  That  "  God  is 
faithful,  by  whom  we  were  called  into  the  fellowship  of  His  Son." 
"  Being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  He  which  hath  begun  a 
good  uiork  in  us  ivill  perform,  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
will  confirm,  us  unto  the  end,  that  we  may  be  blameless  in  the  day 
of  Jesus  Christ:"  for  "  iJe  hath  declared  that  He  will  never  leave 
nor  forsake  us  ;"  and  that  '■  He  will  put  his  fear  in  our  hearts,  that 
toe  shall  not  depart  from  him,J'l  Since,  therefore,  the  connection 
between  these  two  doctrines  is  so  close  and  intimate,  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  adopt  the  first  of  them,  without  embracing  the  other,  we 
must  account  for  every  apparent  final  falling  away  after  the  recep- 
tion of  God's  grace,  as  the  beloved  apostle  has  instructed  us  to  do. 
"They  went  out  from  us,  but  they  were  not  of  us,  for  if  they  had 
been  of  ^ts,  they  would  no  doubt  have  continued  with  us:  but 
they  went  out,  that  they  might  be  made  manifest,  that  they  were 
not  all  of  us P\  Jesus  giveth  unto  his  sheep  "eternal  life;  and 
they  shall  never  perish;  neither  shall  any  man  phick  them  out 
of  his  hands. "II  If  then  any  persons,  after  appearing  to  believe, 
finally  die  in  a  state  of  unbelief,  the  reason  is  evident:  it  is  because 
they  are  not,  never  were  of  Christ's  sheep ;  even  as  Christ  himself 
hath  told  us.^  "  Fear  not.  little  fiock,  for  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  the   kingdom."**     But  if  a  wolf  in  sheep's 

*  Rom.  viii.  .30.  t  Matt.  x.  22. 

:j;  1  Thess.  v.  24.    1  Cor.  i.  9.  1  Cor.  i.  8.     Heb.  xiii.  5.     Jer.  xxxii.  40,  which  com- 
pare with  Heb.  viii.  8,  10,  11.  §  1  John  ii.  19. 
II  John  X.  28.                                        nr  Ibid.  x.  26.                ♦♦  Luke  xii.  32. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  319 

clothing  get  among  the  flock,  it  does  not  follow  that  he  shall  inherit 
the  kingdom,  nor  is  his  coming  short  of  it  a  falling  away  of  God's 
elect;  but  only  a  proof  that,  in  spite  of  his  specious  appearance,  he 
never  belonged  to  them.  Such-a-oiie's  falling  away  is  no  failing 
from  grace,  but  only  a  return  to  his  natural  propensities,  "as  the 
dog  returns  to  his  own  vomit,  or  the  sow  that  was  washed  to  her 
wallowing  in  the  mire."*  And  thus  it  is  whenever  professors ^wa% 
fall.  Their  specious  outside  was  such,  perhaps,  as  to  deceive  not 
only  themselves,  but  even  the  very  elect :  but  it  could  not  deceive 
God.  The  Lord  knmoeth  them  that  are  his.  The  Good  Shepherd 
knows  his  sheep,  and  his  piercing  eye  will  find  out  every  intruder 
and  drive  them  from  the  fold.  God  is  not  mocked.  This  man 
was  all  along  sowing  to  the  flesh  ;  and  therefore  it  is,  that  he  is 
finally  left  of  the  flesh  to  reap  corruption.! 

If  we  carefully  examine  the  passages  which  are  supposed  to  mil- 
itate agaitist  this  doctrine,  we  shall  find  that  not  one  of  them  is 
really  opposed  to  it;  because  not  one  of  them  supposes  the  apostate 
ever  to  have  been  endued  with  saving  grace.  A  comparison  of 
Heb.  vi.  4—8.  with  the  parable  of  the  sower,  may  convince  us  that  the 
fallers  away  there  mentioned,  are  only  very  aggravated  cases  of  the 
stony  and  thorny  ground  hearers  of  the  parable.  It  is  to  be  re- 
marked, that  St.  Paul  does  not  compare  them  to  earth,  which  hav- 
ing once  drank  in  the  rain  from  heaven,  and  brought  forth  good 
fruit,  became  afterwards  barren  and  unfruitful  ;  bu\  he  compares 
them  to  that  which,  unsofiened  by  the  rain  from  heaven  which 
falls  upon  it,  brings  forth  nothing  but  thorns  and  briers,  as  its  natu- 
ral and  sole  production.  Such  earth  is  not  good  ground  become 
bad  ;  it  is  bad  ground  which  has  never  been  made  good.  And  it 
receives  the  curse  of  barrenness.  The  barren  fig-tree  is  spared 
from  year  to  year,  till  the  heavenly  husbandman  has  digged  about 
it  and  dressed  it:  yet  we  are  toId,'that  if  it  continue  barren  under 
all  these  advantages,  a  time  will  come,  when  even  Jesus  will  consent 
that  it  be  cut  down  :  when  even  Jesus,  coming  to  the  fig-tree,  and 
beholding  no  fruit,  but  onltj  leaves,  will  say  in  his  wrath,  ''Let 
no  fruit  grow  on  this  tree  henceforward  forever.''  So  this  ungrate- 
ful soil,  on  which  the  rain  from  heaven  has  been  perpetually  fall- 
ing, but  on  which  it  has  ever  fallen  in  vain,  shall  at  length  be  left 
to  the. consequences  of  its  own  obduracy,  and  no  further  pains  be- 
stowed upon  it.  And  thus  it  was  with  the  apostate  professors  of 
whom  St.  Paul  speaks.  These  had  tasted  the  heavenly  gift,  and 
been  made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that  is,  partakers  of  his 
miraculous  influences  through  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
apostles  :— (for  that  no  participation  of  his  saving  influences  is  here 
spoken  of  is  evident  from  the  9th  verse).  Thev  had  "  tasted  the 
good  word  of  God,  and  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come  :"  that  is, 
"  they  had  heard  the  word,  and  anon  with  joy  received  it."t  Yet 
all  this  while  they  had  none  of  those  "  things  which  accompany 

♦  2  Peter  u.  22.  -j-  Gal.  vi.  8.  :j:  Matt.  xiii.  20. 


320  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

salvation."*  Their  hearts  were  all  the  lime  like  the  stony  ground 
in  which  the  gool  seed  takes  no  root;  or  hke  the  ground  whence 
the  thorns  and  briers  have  never  been  cleared,  and  which  must  in- 
evitably choke  the  good  seed,  and  make  it  unfruitful.  Therefore 
says  St.  Paul  to  such  false-hearted  professors,  let  them  beware. 
For  after  they  have  tried  God's  patience  to  a  certain  extent,  his 
Spirit  will  no  longer  strive  with  them.  They  are  as  sure  to  fall 
away,  as  a  plant  that  has  no  root  is  sure  to  wither.  And  when 
God  thu^  permits  them  to  be  hardened  through  the  deceitfulness  of 
sin,  and  they  are  left  to  crucify  the  Son  of  God  afresh,  and  put  him 
to  an  open  sliame  ;  then  it  will  be  impossible  for  any  efforts  of  ours 
to  renew  tiiem  to  repentance  ;  for  those  whom  God  thus  leaves  to 
themselves,  will  go  on  hardening  themselves  forever.  That  this 
is  the  sense  of  his  words,  is  evident  from  the  context,  Heb.  vi.  1 — 4, 
the  meaning  of  which  seems  to  be,  it  is  of  no  use  to  be  perpetually 
laying  the  foundation  of  yoiu'  faith,  and  going  back  to  the  first  ru- 
diments of  the  doctrine  of  Clirist  for  the  sake  of  those  wayside, 
stony-grounJ;  or  thorny-ground  hearers,  in  whom  the  good  seed 
will  never  come  to  perfection.  Let  us  therefore  leave  the  first  prin- 
ciples, aiul  go  on  to  perfection,  for  their  sakes,  who  having  received 
the  word,  and  understood  it,  are  now  prepared  to  receive  further 
supplies  of  light  and  knowledge  ;  who  having  in  them  the  things 
which  accompany  salvation,  will  go  on  from  strength  to  strength. 

One  thing  has  especially  struck  me  in  this  and  similar  passages. 
Amidst  all  the  gifts  and  graces  mentioned, yaiZ/i  in  our  Lord  Jesiis 
Christ  is  never  once  hinted  at,  as  having  formed  any  part  of  the 
religion  of  these  false-hearted  professors.  Yet  a  simple  trust  in 
Jesus  is  the  grand  evidence  of  our  being  in  a  state  of  grace.  "  He 
that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  :  and  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life."t  Now  should  these  pages 
meet  the  eye  of  one  of  my  dear  Christian  brethren,  whose  mind, 
from  the  weakness  of  his  faith,  or  the  strength  of  temptation,  may 
be  harassed  by  passages  such  as  these,  it  is  to  this  point  of  a  sim- 
ple belief  in  Jeswi.  that  I  would  particularly  draw  his  attention. 

The  sense  of  your  weakness  and  helplessness  fills  you  with  dis- 
may. You  often  feel  that,  like  one  of  the  saints  of  old,  you  are 
ready  to  halt ;  your  feet  seem  almost  gone  ;  your  steps  about  to 
slide.  The  candle  of  the  Lord  has  ceased  to  shine  upon  you,  and 
you  exclaim  in  your  haste,  I  am  cut  off  froiri  before  thine  eyes.  You 
look,  perhaps,  for  gifts  and  graces,  as  evidences  of  your  spiritual  con- 
dition ;  but  you  feel  that  you  have  none  to  produce.  Perhaps  you 
have  been  a  backslider  from  the  ways  of  God,  and  have  gone  on  fro- 
wardly  in  the  way  of  your  own  heart.  And  now,  all,  all  seems  gone, 
save  a  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation,  which 
having  set  yourself  down  as  the  adversary  of  the  Lord,  you  are  daily 
expecting  to  devour  you.  But,  beloved,  though  in  the  agony  of  your 
self-abasement  and  condemnation,  you  cannot  find  a  single  spirit- 
ual grace  residing  within  you,  can  you  not  recollect  a  time  when 
*  Heb.  vi.  9.  t  JoJ^i^  "i-  36. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  32l 

your  faith  laid  hold  on  Jesus  for  salvation  7  when  putting  away 
all  confidence  in  your  own  deservings,  and  casting  yourself,  as  a 
miserable,  guilty,  and  helpless  sinner,  at  the  foot  of  his  cross,  you 
trusted  yourself  unreservedly  to  him  for  pardon,  righteousness  and 
strength  ?  If  you  have  thus  done,  you  have  placed  yourself  in  the 
hands  of  one  who  will  hold  you  fast  to  all  eternity.  He  will  never 
let  you  go,  though  your  weak  and  treacherous  heart  may  sometimes 
seem*  to  have  let  go  its  hold  of  him.  Take  comfort,  then,  and  en- 
courage yourself  in  the  Lord  your  God.  Be  assured  that  the  false 
professors,  to  whom  you  would  compare  yourself,  never  had  one 
grain  of  this  saving  faith.  Though  your  faith  be  weak  and 
trembling,  yet  be  not  afraid,  only  believe.  For  look  what  comfort- 
able words  our  Saviour  Christ  speaks  unto  you — "  this  is  the  will 
of  him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one  which  seeth  the  Son,  and  be- 
lieveth  on  him,  may  have  everlasting  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up 
at  the  last  day.''* 

If  you  cannot  feel  sure  that  you  have  ever  exercised  this  simple 
unreserved  trust  in  your  Lord  and  Saviour,  endeavor  now  to  com- 
mit yourself  into  his  hands.  Instead  of  tormenting  yourself  with 
so  many  vain  fears,  cast  yourself  a?ieM7  on  the  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus,  as  if  you  had  never  been  to  him  before.  Fall,  just  as 
you  are,  into  the  arms  of  his  mercy.  Say  unto  him,  "Lord,  I  be- 
lieve, help  thou  mine  unbelief."  If  you  can  do  nothing  more,  lie 
passive  at  his  feet,  until  his  pitying  eye  shall  look  down  upon  you, 
and  his  gentle  hand  shall  raise  you  from  the  dust.  Trust  in  him, 
though  he  slay  you.  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  he  saved. 

There  is  another  passage  in  Hebrews  (x.  26 — 29),  which  is  some- 
times brought  forward  to  prove  that  we  may  fall  away,  after  hav- 
ing received  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  But  this  knowledge  is 
evidently  no  saving  knowledge.  AVe  may  receive  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth,  without  receiving  and  embracing  the  truth  itself. 
The  plain  meaning  of  the  passage  seems  to  be,  that  to  those  who 
sit  under  the  light  of  the  Gospel  without  benefiting  by  it,  to  them 
it  shall  be  a  savor  of  death  unto  death  ;  that  if  when  Christ  has 
been  ofiTered,  and  his  sacrifice  made  known  to  us,  we  reject  that 
means  of  salvation,  there  remaineth  no  further  sacrifice  for  sin,  "  no 
other  name  under  heaven  by  which  we  can  be  saved. "t  If  we 
will  not  be  reconciled  through  Christ,  God  has  provided  no  other 
way  of  reconciliation. 

Neither  has  the  passage  Heb.  xii.  15 — 17,  any  real  difiiculty  in 
it.  For  Esau's  rejection  of  his  birthright,  was  but  the  natural  effect 
of  his  carelessness  of  the  heavenly  blessings  contained  in  it.  He 
had  never  really  valued  his  birthright ;  it  was  as  a  pearl  cast  before 
swine,  which  he  readily  relinquished  for  the  food  suited  to  his  swin- 
ish nature.  Moreover  it  did  but  serve  to  justify  God's  predestina- 
tion concerning  him  ;  for  he  had  declared,  before  even  Esau  was 
born,  that  the  elder  should  serve  the  younger.  Esau's  case,  there- 
♦  John  vi.  40.  t  Acts  iv.  12. 

21 


322  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

fore,  was  not  one  of  apostasy ;  but  his  conduct,  in  this  instance, 
was  only  a  consequence  of  his  former  obduracy.* 

Nor  does  the  dreadful  description  in  2  Peter  ii.  20,  21,  allude  to 
a  falling  away  from  grace  once  received.  For  grace  had  never 
cleansed  those  polluted  hearts.  The  earthly,  sensual,  devilish  nature, 
had  never  been,  in  the  smallest  degree  removed.  This  affords  no  in- 
stance of  slieep  permitted  to  stray  evei  lastingly  from  the  fold ;  for  these, 
Aveare  informed,  were  but  dogs  returned  to  their  own  vomit — swine, 
that  liad  been  outwardly  washed,  to  their  wallowing  in  the  mire. 

In  Luke  xi.  21,  22,  we  are  told,  that  "  when  a  strong  man  armed 
keepeth  his  palace,  his  goods  are  in  peace ;  but  when  a  stronger 
than  he  shall  come  upon  him  and  overcome  him,  he  taketh  away 
all  his  armor  wherein  he  trusted,  and  divideth  his  spoil ;"  that  Hs, 
that  Satan  keeps  undisturbed  possession  of  man's  heart,  till  Christ, 
who  is  stronger  than  he,  forcibly  ejects  him  thence,  and  himself 
enters  into  that  soul,  and  dwells  and  reigns  there  forever.  In  the 
24th,  25th,  and  26th  verses  of  the  same  chapter,  the  unclean 
spirit  is  represented  as  voluntarily  going  out  of  a  man,  and  after- 
wards returning  with  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than  him- 
self; so  that  the  last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first. 
The  former  of  these  passages  may  serve  to  explain  and  illustrate  the 
latter,  which  has  sometimes  been  supposed  to  describe  a  state  of 
apostasy  after  grace.  In  the  first  instance  {that  of  real  conver- 
sion,) the  strong  man  armed  keepeth  his  palace,  and  is  only  driven 
out  by  the  coming  of  "  one  stronger  than  he  ;"  who,  having  pos- 
sessed himself  of  the  palace,  will  hold  fast  his  blood-bought  posses- 
sion. Satan  can  never  resume  his  dominion ;  because,  let  him 
come  when  he  will  to  that  man's  heart,  he  finds  it  occupied  by  "  a 
stronger  than  himself,"  who  will  never  let  him  set  his  foot  there. 
In  other  words,  when  Christ  really  takes  up  his  abode  in  a  soul, 
Satan's  power  over  it  is  gone  forever.  He  can  no  longer  say,  '  I 
will  return  to  my  house  whence  I  came  out :'  for  he  knows  that 
the  house  is  now  Chrisfs  house,  and  must  remain  so,  till  Satan  is 
stronger  than  Christ.  But  the  second  case  described  is  widely  dif- 
ferent. Here  the  unclean  spirit  has  secure  possession  of  the  soul ; 
he  goes  in,  and  comes  out  at  his  pleasure.  He  has  no  need  to  keep 
his  palace  so  carefully ;  because  he  sees  no  one  to  oppose  his  right 
and  title  to  it.  He  leaves  the  man  for  a  time  ;  and,  when  weary 
of  his  absence,  he  says,  '  I  will  return  to  my  house  whence  I  came 
out.'  And  mark  the  circumstance  of  his  return :  he  findeth  it 
"empty,  swept,  and  garnished. "t  Some  of  its  outward  abomina- 
tions have  been  cleared  away  during  his  absence  :  it  has  been  swept 
with  the  broom  of  self-righteousness,  and  garnished  with  some  fan- 
cied good  works — some  carnal  desires  or  other  for  obtaining  God's 
favor.     But  where  is  the  "  stronger  than  the  strong  man  ?"     Who 

*  It  should  be  remembered  also,  that  the  '  icpoUancc'  referred  to  a  change  of  mind 
in  Isaac,  not  in  himself;  compare  verse  17,  with  Gen.  xxvii.  35 — 40.  The  example 
has  therefore  no  direct  connection  with  spiritual  apostasy. 

t  Matt.  XX.  44. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  323 

shall  keep  the  unclean  spirit  out  of  an  empty  house  ?  What  won- 
der if,  finding  it  thus  empty,  and  none  to  oppose  his  entrance,  he 
go  in  and  dwell  there  with  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than 
himself?  To  divest  the  subject  of  metaphor,  the  soul  of  this  man, 
left  for  a  time  by  Satan,  and  subjected  to  some  self-devised  purifica- 
tion, may  seem  to  himself  and  others  to  be  "  washed  from  his  filth- 
iness  ;"*  may  be  adorned  with  a  specious  appearance  of  grace.  But 
there  is  no  Christ  in  that  soul,  and  therefore  there  never  can  really 
have  been  any  grace.  The  doors  of  that  heart  have  never  been 
lifted  up  to  let  the  King  of  glory  in.  The  man  is  of  himself  wholly 
without  strength  to  resist  the  attack  of  his  spiritual  adversary  ;  and 
as  he  has  never  applied  for  help  to  "  one  that  is  mighty,"  what 
wonder  if  Satan  lead  him  captive  at  his  will  ?  This  is  not  then 
the  case  of  a  soul  which  having  received  Christ,  has  fallen  away 
from  him  ;  but  of  one  who  has  never  received  Christ  at  all.  St. 
Paul  says,  "examine  yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith;  prove 
your  ownselves :  know  ye  not  your  ownselves,  how  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobate  ?"  Now  Jesus  Christ  was 
not  in  this  man  ;  therefore  his  state,  at  the  time  of  the  return  of  the 
evil  spirit,  was  not  that  of  the  elect  of  God ;  nor  need  his  fall  be 
an  occasion  of  stumbling  to  any  who  know  that  Christ  abideth  in 
them  by  the  Spirit  which  he  hath  given  them. 

The  true  use  of  the  awful  passages  which  we  have  been  con- 
sidering, is  to  stir  up  every  professing  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
carefully  to  examine  the  state  of  his  own  soul.  For  these  Scrip- 
tures show  us  how  far — how  very  far  a  person  may  proceed  in  an 
apparently  religious  course,  without  having  any  of  those  things 
that  accompany  salvation.  Let  us  not  try  ourselves  by  any  un- 
certain standard.  Strong  convictions,  highly-excited  feelings,  fair 
appearances  of  our  conduct,  may  exist ;  while  all  the  time  we 
have  neither  part  nor  lot  in  the  matter,  because  our  hearts  are 
not  right  in  the  sight  of  God.  But  "  hereby  do  we  know  that 
we  know  him,  if  we  keep  his  commandments. "f  "  Hereby  know 
we  that  we  dwell  in  him,  and  he  in  us,  because  he  hath  given 
us  of  his  Spirit."}:  "  And  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace, 
long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  temperance."* 
'•  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life ;  because  we 
love  the  brethren."!!  "  The  foundation  of  God  standeth  sure,  hav- 
ing this  seal,  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his.  And,  let  every 
one,  that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ,  depart  from  iniquity.''ir  We 
are  "  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation."** 
Has  God  given  us  this  faith?  Have  we  "a  living  faith."tt  Does 
it  enable  us  to  endure,  "as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible ?"++  To 
"look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen  and  temporal  ;  but  at  the 
things  which  are  unseen  and  eternal  ?"§§  Does  it  "  work  by  love  ;" 
"  overcome  the  world  ;"  "  quench  the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil ?"l|li 

*  Prov.  XXX.  12.  -f-  John  ii.  3.  +1  John  iv.  13. 

^  Gal.  V.  22,  23.  II  1  John  iii.  11.  IT  2  Tim.  ii.  19. 

♦*  1  Peter  i.  5.  tt  James  ii.  26.  X\-  ^eb.  xi.  27. 

<^%  2  Cor.  iv.  18.  nil  Gal.  v.  G.    John  v.  4.  Eph.  vi.  16. 


324  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

These  are  some  of  the  marks  which  God  has  given  us  to  examine 
ourselves  by.  These  are  things  which  do  accompany  salvation. 
"  Every  plant,"  says  Jesus,  "  which  my  heavenly  Father  hath  not 
planted^  shall  be  rooted  up."*  Would  ive  know  whether  we  are 
thus  planted  only  to  be  rooted  up ;  or  whether  we  are  "  trees  of 
righteousness,  the  planting  of  the  Lord  f]  "  which  shall  still  bring 
forth  fruit  in  old  age  ;  and  shall,  to  the  end,  be  fat  and  flourishing  ?"| 
Let  us  examine  whether  we  he  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness which  are,  hij  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God.h 

I  would,  in  conclusion,  most  earnestly  beseech  all  who  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity,  not  to  dishonor  their  Lord  by  doubting  of 
his  faithfulness  to  keep  them  to  the  end.  "Jesus  Christ  is  the  same 
yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  forever."||  If  he  loved  us  yesterday,  he 
loved  us  to-day,  and  he  will  love  us  forever ;  and,  as  long  as  his 
love  to  us  lasts,  so  long  will  ours  to  him  :  for  ours  is  the  effect  of 
his.  As  long  as  he  loves  us  with  an  everlasting  love,  so  long  with 
loving-kindness  will  he  draw  us  ;  and,  as  long  as  he  draws  us,  we 
shall  run  after  him.  Let  us  not  stagger  at  the  promises  of  God, 
through  unbelief;  but  let  us  be  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to 
God :  glory  to  the  love  which  first  brought  us  out  of  our  low  es- 
tate ;  glory  to  the  faithfulness  which  will  never  leave  us,  till  it  has 
perfected  that  which  concerns  us.  And  when  we  are  assaulted  by 
foes  within  and  without,  and  hemmed  in  by  so  many  dangers,  that 
we  are  ready  to  exclaim,  "  1  shall  one  day  perish  by  the  hand  of 
the  enemy  ;"  even  then  let  us  against  hope  believe  in  hope,  that  the 
Lord  shall  deliver  us  from  every  evil  work,  and  will  preserve  us  unto 
his  heavenly  kingdom. *T[ 

Let  the  weak  and  trembling  believer  look  well  to  every  part  of 
the  everlasting  covenant,  and  lay  hold  of  the  strong  consolation 
contained  in  it.  Let  him  remember  who  are  the  parties  in  this  cov- 
enant :  the  Trinity  in  unit}^  on  the  one  hand  ;  and  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,  who  is  also  Jehov^ah  Jesus,  appearing  on  behalf  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  covenant,  on  the  other.  For  the  Saints  are  "  elect 
according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father,  through  sancti- 
fication  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  :"**  they  are  admitted  into  the  outward  pale  of  the  cov- 
enant (by  the  sign  of  baptism)  "  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  :"tt  and  they  are  made  partakers 
of  the  "  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost. '"++  According  to  the  "  counsel" 
and  "  eternal  purpose"  of  this  triune  Jehovah  was  the  everlasting 
covenant  established  ;  "  according  to  the  purpose  of  Him  who  work- 
eth  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will  :"§§  "  whose  counsel 
endureth  forever,  and  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  generations  ;"li|| 
"with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning :"1[T 

*  Matt.  XV.  13.  t  Isa.  Ixi.  3.  ij:  Psalm  xcii.  14. 

^  Phil.  i.  11.  11  Hel).  xiii.  8.  IT  2  Tim.  iv.  18. 

**  Peter  i.  2.  ft  Matt,  xxviii.  19.  :j:j:  2  Cor.  xiii.  14. 

%  Eph.  i.  5  9.  11.  and  iii.  1 L-  llll  P.salra  xxxiii.  11.  TIT  James  i.  17. 


ON    ELECTING    GRACE.  325 

"  who  changeth  not  :"*  "  who  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  he,  nor 
the  son  of  man  that  he  should  repent  :"t  "  the  God  that  cannot 
lie:"t  "the  Lord  God  of  trutii  :"§  "whose  word  is  true  from  the 
beginning-,  and  every  one  of  his  righteous  judgments  endureth  for- 
ever :"||  "who  will  be  ever  mindful  of  his  covenant  .-""IT  for  he  is 
"  the  faithful  God,  which  keepeth  covenant  and  mercy."**  "  A  God 
of  truth  and  without  iniquity,  just  and  right  is  he."tt  This  cove- 
nant-keeping God  is  our  Father,  for  he  is  the  "  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  the  other  party  in  the  covenant ;  yea,  himself  the 
Surety  of  the  covenant  of  peace  ;  our  Surety  for  good.  This  Surety 
of  ours  has  performed  his  part,  that  is,  our  part  in  the  everlasting 
covenant.  He  has  been  "cut  off,  but  not  for  himself;  has  made 
reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  brought  in  everlastmg  righteous- 
ness."U  Justice,  by  releasing  our  Surety  from  the  prison  of  the 
grave,  and  permitting  him  forever  to  sit  down  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  Blajestyon  high,  has  proclaimed  herself  fully  satisfied,  and 
unable  to  claim  from  him  or  from  us  one  jot  or  one  tittle  more  in 
the  way  either  of  doing  or  of  suffering.§§  ••  Who  is  he  that  con- 
demneth  ?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather,  that  is  risen  again, 
who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  interces- 
sion for  us."llil  And  he  is  able  to  "save-them  to  the  uttermost  that 
come  unto  God  by  him.  seeing  that  he  ever  liveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  them  r'^lfl  and  that  the  Father  "  heareth  him  always."*** 
He  is  gone  "  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us  ;"ttt  to  be  our 
advocate  with  the  Father  ;ttt  our  "High  Priest  over  the  house  of 
God."§§§  Moreover  "  it  pleased  the  Father  that  in  him  should  all 
fulness  dwell  :"||||||  and  "out  of  his  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and 
grace  for  grace."*!!!!  "  All  the  promises"  of  the  covenant  "  in  Him 
are  yea,  and  in  Him,  amen  ;"****  for  God  hath  declared  that  "  his 
covenant  shall  stand  fast  with  him."tttt  "As  for  me,  this  is  my 
covenant  with  them,  saith  the  Lord  ;  my  Spirit  that  is  upon  thee, 
and  my  words  which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out 
of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the 
mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  for 
ever.":t:ttt  Thus  "  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure"§§§§  is  the  everlast- 
ing covenant  which  God  hath  made  with  his  people.  It  was  "con- 
firmed of  God  in  Christ  before  the  world  was  :"||||||||  confirmed  by  the 
promise  and  oath  of  God,  those  two  "  immutable  things  in  which  it 
was  impossible  for  God  to  lie  :"iriI1[ir  and  being  thus  confirmed,  "  none 
shall  ever  disannul,  or  add  to  it."*****  "  My  covenant  will  I  not  break 
nor  alter  the  thing  that  is  gone  out  of  my  lips.     Once  have  I  sworn 

■  *  Mall.  iii.  6.  t  Num.  xxiii.  19.  ^  '^i^us  i.  2. 

^  Psalm  xxxi.  5.  II  Psalm  cxix.  160.  IT  Psalm  cxi.  5. 

**  Deut.  vii.  9.    I  Kings  viii.  23.    Neh.  i.  5.    Dan.  ix.  4.  ft  Deut.  xxxii.  4. 

:|::j:  Dan.  ix.  24,  26.  ^(J,  Rom.  iv.  25.  Illl  Rom.  viii.  34. 

ITIT  Heb.  vii.  25.  ***  John  xi.  42.  ftt  Heb.  ix.  24. 

ttt  1  John  ii.  1  ^()\)  Heb.  x.  21.  Illlll  Col.  i.  19. 

iriru  John  i.  16.  ****  2  Cor.  20.  ttt+  Psalm  Ixxxix.  28. 

:Hr|:t  Isa.  lix.  xxi.  <)(fy<^  2  Sam.  xxii.  5.  Illlllll  Gal.  iii.  17,  and  Eph.i.  4 

irirVII  Heb.  vi.  17,  18  *****  Gal.  iii.  15. 


326  ON    ELECTING    GRACE. 

by  my  holines?,  that  I  will  not  lie  unto  David"*  (i.e.,  David's  Lord, 
as  is  evident  from  the  context).  '•  I  will  make  an  everlasting  cov- 
enant with  them,  that  I  vnll  not  turn  away  from  them  to  do  them, 
goocV  (here  is  God's  faithfulness,)  "but  I  will  put  my  fear  into 
their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart  from  me.-'f  (here  is  our  per- 
severance). '•  The  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  shall  be 
removed  ;  but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall 
the  covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that  hath 
mercy  on  thee."t  "I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you, 
even  the  sure  mercies  of  David  r'§  and  how  sure  those  mercies  are, 
may  be  seen  from  Jer.  xxxiii.  20,  26.  "  Thus  hath  the  Lord  sent 
redemption  unto  his  people  ;  he  hath  commanded  his  covenant  for- 
ever ;  holy  and  reverend  is  his  name. "II  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord 
God  of  Hosts  !  The  whole  earth  shall  be  full  of  thy  glory  !  Sal- 
vation to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb, 
forever  and  ever ! 

That  blessed  child  of  the  covenant.  Hooker,  has  expressed  his 
faith  in  the  final  perseverance  of  God's  elect  in  terms  so  beautiful 
and  glorious,  that  I  cannot  close  this  little  work  without  inserting 
them.  "Blessed  forever  and  ever  be  that  mother's  child,  whose 
faith  hath  made  him  the  child  of  God.  The  earth  may  shake, 
the  pillars  of  the  world  may  tremble  under  us,  the  countenance  of 
the  heavens  may  be  appalled,  the  sun  may  lose  his  light,  the  moon 
her  beauty,  and  the  stars  their  glory  ;  but  concerning  the  man  that 
trusted  in  God,  if  the  fire  have  proclaimed  itself  unable  as  much  as 
to  singe  a  hair  of  his  head,  if  lions,  beasts  ravenous  by  nature,  and 
keen  with  hunger,  being  set  to  devour,  have  as  it  were  religiously 
adored  the  very  flesh  of  the  faithful  man  ;  what  is  there  "in  the 
world  that  shall  change  his  heart,  overthrow  his  faith,  alter  his  af- 
fection towards  God,  or  the  affection  of  God  to  him  'I  If  I  be  of 
this  note,  who  shall  make  a  separation  between  me  and  my  God? 
^Shall  tribulation,  or  anguish,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  na- 
kedness, or  j)eril,  or  sivord  7  No;  I  am  persuaded  that  neither 
trihulation,  nor  anguish,  nor  persecution,  nor  famine,  nor  na- 
kedness, nor  peril,  nor  sivord,  7ior  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come, 
nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature  shall  ever  prevail 
so  far  over  me.  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed  ;  I  am  not  igno- 
rant whose  precious  blood  has  been  shed  for  me  ;  I  have  a  sliepherd 
full  of  kindness,  full  of  care,  and  full  of  power ;  unto  him  I  com- 
mit myself;  his  own  finger  hath  engraved  this  sentence  in  the  ta- 
bles of  my  heart,  y^atan  hath  desired  to  winnow  thee  as  wheat,  but 
1  have  prayed  that  thy  faith  fail  not :  Therefore  the  assurance 
of  my  hope  I  will  labor  to  keep,  as  a  jewel,  unto  the  end  ;  and  by 
labor,  through  the  gracious  mediation  of  his  prayer,  I  shall  keep  it.'' 

*  Psalm  Ixxxix.  31,  35.  f  Jer.  xxxii.  40. 

:j:  Isa.  liv.  9.  10.  (>  Isa.  Iv,  3. 

II  Psalm  CXI.  9. 

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walk  of  literature,  wiJelj'  scattered  the  seedof  virtue  " 

THEOLOGICAL  SKETCH  BOOK;  OR  SKETCHES  OF  SERMONS.  Care- 
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THUCYD IDES— HISTORY  OF  THE  PELOPONNESIAN  WAR.  Translated  from 
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retino  in  Ecclesia  Academia  Genevensi  Pastore  et  S.  S.,  Theologicse  Professore  Cui 
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Oidy  a  small  edition  of  this  work  has  been  issued.     Those  wishing  copies  of  it  would 
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Edinburgh,  30lh  March,  1846. 

We  rejoice  to  hear  of  the  proposed  republication  of  the  works  of  Francis  Turretine,  Professor  of  The- 
ology in' Geneva.  Hi?  great  Work  the  "  Institutio  Theologiae  Elencticas"  is  possessed  of  the  very  higheg'i 
value,  and  justly  ranks  as  at  once  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  useful  books  on  Systematic  Theology.  We 
would  strongly  recummend  to  all  Students  of  Theology  to  read  Turretine  carefully  befure  they  conBider 
themselves  as  having  completed  their  studies  with  a  view  to  being  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

(Signed)  Thomas  Chalmers.  S  S.T.P.,  Ediub.  (Signed)    John  Brow^n,  D  D  ,  Edinburgh. 
WiM.  CtTNNiNGHAM,  t).D.,             do.  Wm  Lindsay,  D.D  ,  Glasgow. 

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John  Duncan,  LL 1).,  do.  John  Edgar,  DD.,        do. 

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"  The  rank  which  Turretine  holds  among  Calvinistic  divines  is  the  highest,  and  his  institutions  are  among  the 
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TYNG— LECTURES  ON  THE  LAW  AND  THE  GOSPEL.  By  Stephen  H.  Tyng  D.D  , 
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Seamen  and  Boatmen's  Manual.     By  Davis. 
Sailor's  Companion.  '' 

A  Message  from  God.    By  Rev.  J.  Cumraings. 
Henry's  Pleasantness  of  a  Religious  Life. 

Daily  Walk  with  God. 

Life  of  Col.  Gardner.     By  Dr.  Doddridge. 
Zion's  Pilgrim.    By  Robert  Hawker,  D.D. 
Hamilton's  Life  in  Earnest. 
The  Mount  of  Olives. 

The  Harp  on  the  Willows. 

Thankfulness. 

Life  of  Hall. 

Memoir  of  Sarah  Martin. 

The  World's  Kelia;ion.    By  Lady  Colquhoun. 

Advice  to  a  Young  Christian. 

AUeine's  Gospel  Promises. 

Profession  is  not  Principle.    By  G.  Kennedy. 

Perfect  Peace.     Memorial  of  J.  W.  Howell,  Esq. 

My  Schoolboy  Days. 

My  Youthful  Companions     A  Sequel  to  the  above. 

Sorrowing  yet  Rejoicing. 

Anecdotes  on  the  Shorter  Catechism. 

Charlie  Seymour.    By  Catharine  Sinclair. 

Pike's  True  Happiness.    '2d  edition. 

Religion  and  Eternal  Life. 

Divine  Origin  of  Christianity. 

Boston's  Crook  in  the  Lot. 

Tribute  to  an  Only  Daughter.     By  Jerram. 

Live  while  you  Lire.     By  Griffith. 

Jay's  Jubilee  Memorial. 

Baxter's  Call,  and  other  Essays. 

Bickersteth  on  the  Lord's  Supper. 

The  Farmer's  Daughter.    By  Mrs.  Cameron. 

The  Life  of  the  Rev.  John  Newton. 

A  World  without  Souls.     By  Cunningham. 

The  Circle  of  Human  Life.     By  Tholuck. 

Wylie's  Journey  through  Fulfilled  Prophecy. 

Bonar's  Night  of  Weeping. 

Story  of  Grace. 

James's  Anxious  Enquirer. 

True  Christian. 

Widow  Directed. 

The  Test  of  Truth.     By  Mary  Jane  Graham. 
Janeway's  Token  for  Children. 

FOURTH   SERIES. 
TWENTY-FIVE  CENTS   PER  VOLUME. 

Glory,  Glory,  Glory.     By  Miss  Bunbury. 
My  Grandfather  Gregory.    By  Old  Humphrey. 
My  Grandm.ama  Gilbert.  "  "' 

Jessy  Allen,  the  Lame  Girl.    By  Grace  Kennedy. 
PoUok's  Helen  of  the  Glen. 

Persecuted  Family. 

Ralph  Gemmell. 

Decapolis.     By  D.  E.  Ford.     4th  edition. 

The  Sinner's  Friend. 

The  Waking  Dream.     By  Mrs.  Dunckfl. 

Noel's  Infant  Piety. 

Memoir  of  John  Huss,  the  Reformer. 

Luther  and  Calvin.     By  D'Aubigne. 

God  in  the  Storm. 

The  Force  of  Truth.    By  the  Rev.  Thos.  Scott. 

The  Life  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Tennent. 

Peace  in  Believing.    By  McGilvray 

The  Loss  of  the  Australia. 

Lowrie's  Letters  to  Sabbath  School  Children. 


